LYDAY  LANGUAGE 
LESSONS 

:OWITZ  AND  STARR 


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PRACTICAL   ENGLISH 
FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


IS^'f 


EVERYDAY    LANGUAGE 
LESSONS 

PRACTICAL   ENGLISH    FOR 

NEW  AMERICANS 

BY 

ALFRED  J.  MARKOWITZ 

AND 

SAMUEL  STARR,  S.B.,  M.D. 

FORMERLY   TEACHERS   OF   NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING    PEOPLE    IN 
THE    FRANKLIN    EVENING    SCHOOL,    BOSTON,    MASS. 


AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI  CHICAGO 


Copyright,  1914, 

By  ALFRED  J.  MARKOWITZ 

AND  SAMUEL  STARR. 


Copyright,  1914,  in  Great  Britain. 


PRACTICAI     ENGLISH. 


^L^-'- 


PREFACE 

The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  supply,  or  to  suggest,  to 
the  teachers  of  adult  New  Americans  in  the  evening 
schools  material  wherewith  to  teach  their  pupils  in 
a  reasonably  short  time,  and  in  a  practicable  manner, 
to  speak,  read,  and  write  the  English  language. 

The  primacy  of  the  need  to  converse  is  especially 
recognized  and  considered.  This  need  is  met  by  train- 
ing the  pupils  in  the  correct  use  of  the  words,  expres- 
sions, and  sentences  that  are  interwoven  with  their 
environments.  Instruction  begins  with  object  lessons 
pertaining  to  objects  and  interests  in  the  schoolroom, 
and  these  are  appropriately  followed  with  lessons 
involving  consideration  of  vocational  matters,  the 
home,  and  other  conditions  and  interests  in  the  life 
of  a  New  American.  These  lessons  are  all  constructed 
with  the  main  purpose  of  using  them  as  drills  for  con- 
versation, the  teacher  being  reminded  at  every  lesson 
to  "use  text  for  conversation."  Examples  of  ques- 
tions, to  be  put  to  the  pupils,  are  given  occasionally, 
illustrating  the  method  of  introducing  and  encouraging 
conversation  covering  the  texts. 

Also,  in  accordance  with  the  idea  of  establishing  at 
the  outset  an  adequate  foundation  for  the  proper  under- 
standing of  and  ultimate  proficiency  in  the  language, 
the  lessons  are  built  upon  the  correct  use  of  verb  forms 

5  ^ 


.9QQ«in 


/,^,  ,;c-,c,c.  PREFACE 

and  idioms.  First,  the  verbs  *'be"  and  *'have"  are 
considered  (in  sentences  illustrating  their  proper  use 
in  persons  and  tenses,  and  embracing  objects  and  con- 
ditions interesting  to  the  pupils).  These  in  turn  are 
followed  by  regular  and  irregular  verbs  in  the  three 
simple  tenses,  special  attention  being  given  to  the 
auxiliaries  "do"  and  "did"  in  the  negative  and  inter- 
rogative. Special  consideration  of  the  idioms  "  do  "  and 
"did"  is  essential  on  account  of^:he  fact  that  these 
important  idioms  are  not  literalH^  translatable  into  the 
other  languages.  For  instance,  it  is  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world  for  a  New  American  to  say,  "Went 
you.^"  instead  of  "Did  you  go  .^"  "I  went  not"  for 
"I  did  not  go,"  and  so  on. 

The  objection  that  all  these  —  the  verb  forms, 
idioms,  etc.  —  can  be  taught  without  specialization, 
and  therefore  without  bewildering  the  pupils  with  too 
'  many  technicalities,  may  be  met  with  the  reminder  that 
the  best  way  to  foster  memory  retention  is  to  treat 
objectively,  i.e.  to  specialize.  To  explain  :  it  is  uni- 
versally known  that  a  person  can  retain  a  word  or 
expression  in  his  memory  much  better  and  longer  by 
seeing  it,  or  hearing  it,  in  actual  use  in  connection  with 
things  of  interest  than  by  merely  meeting  with  the 
word  or  expression  by  itself,  or  by  comparing  it  with  a 
synonym. 

It  surely  ought  to  be  much  less  bewildering  to  the 
pupil  to  be  made  familiar  with  the  verb  forms,  idioms, 
and  expressions  gradually  and  in  a  logical,  consecutive 
way   than   to   be    fed    promiscuously   with   a    mixture 


PREFACE  7 

of  all  verb  forms,  idioms,  exceptions,  etc.,  in  current 
colloquial  use  among  those  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  language. 

Here  the  reader  may  again  be  reminded  that  the  les- 
sons in  this  book  are  constructed  with  a  proper  regard 
for  the  pupils'  environments  and  needs  —  the  sentences 
all  being  such  as  they  are  most  likely  to  hear  daily  in 
the  shop,  street,  and  home.  The  idea,  in  general,  is,  of 
course,  to  provide  a  practicable  working  vocabulary 
and  to  show  how  to  use  the  vocabulary  correctly. 

Later  in  the  book,  after  the  pupils  have  become  more 
proficient  in  reading  and  in  the  correct  use  of  the 
language  forms  —  that  is,  when  they  have  reached  a 
stage  where  they  can  profitably  appreciate  more  serious 
reading  —  they  are  introduced  through  simple  reading 
lessons  to  subjects  dealing  with  educational  matters, 
history,  morals,  civics,  hygiene,  and  the  like. 

A  vocabulary  of  about  fourteen  hundred  common 
words  in  English,  Italian,  Yiddish,  and  Russian  has 
been  prepared  to  accompan}^  this  manual  and  will  be 
of  much  practical  assistance  to  all  New  Americans 
who  are  learning  to  use  the  language  of  their  adopted 
country. 


CONTENTS 


METHOD   OF   APPLICATION 


Reading  and  Conversation 
Spelling    .... 
Writing     .... 
The  Alphabet  . 


Lesson  i. 
Lesson  2. 
Lesson  3. 
Lesson  4. 
Lesson  5. 
Lesson  6. 
Lesson  7, 
Lesson  8. 
Lesson  9. 
Lesson  10. 
Lesson  1 1. 
Lesson  12. 
Lesson  13. 
Lesson  14. 
Lesson  15. 
Lesson  16. 
Lesson  17. 
Lesson  18. 
Lesson  19. 
Lesson  20. 
Lesson  21. 
Lesson  22. 
Lesson  23. 
Lesson  24. 
Lesson  25. 
Lesson  26. 
Lesson  27. 
Lesson  28. 


PRACTICAL   LESSONS 


The  Vowels  .... 
The  Vowels  —  Short  a,  Long  a 
The  Vowels  —  Broad  a.  Open  a 
Thp:  Vowels —  Short  e.  Long  e 
The  Vowels  —  Short  e.  Long  e^  continued 
The  Vowels  —  ^before;- 
The  Vowels  —  Short  /,  Long  / 
The  Vowels  —  Short  o,  Long  o 
The  Vowels  —  Short  u.  Long  u 
The  Vowels — y  as  vowel  and  consonant 
The  Schoolroom  . 
The  Shop 

The  Clothing  Shop 
Trades    .... 
Verbs  —  Be,  Present  Tense 
Numbers  .... 
Verbs  —  Be,  Past  Tense  . 
Verbs  —  Be,  Future  Tense 
Verbs  —  Have,  had 
Review    .... 
O  followed  by  other  vowels 
The  Body 

The  Progressive  Form 
Silent  Letters 
On  the  Car    . 
Regular  Verbs 
Like — Interrogative  Form 
Like  —  Negative  Form  . 
8 


FACE 
II 
13 
14 
16 


17 

18 

19 

20 
21 

22 

23 
24 
26 
28 
30 
31 

33 
34 
36 
38 
39 
40 

41 

42 

43 
44 
46 
48 
49 
50 
52 
53 


CONTENTS 


Lesson  29.  Our  New  Home     . 

Lesson  30.  The  Voyage  . 

Lesson  31.  Irregular  Verbs  . 

Lesson  32.  At  a  Fire 

Lesson  33.  Conversational  Forms 

Lesson  34.  Our  Trip  to  America 

Lesson  35.  Work 

Lesson  36.  The  Home 

Lesson  ^j.  Foods 

Lesson  38.  Clothes  . 

Lesson  39.  To,  Too,  Two 

Lesson  40.  United  States  Money 

Lesson  41.  The  Meat  Market 

Lesson  42.  Singular  and  Plural  Nouns 

Lesson  43.  The  Grocery  Store 

Lesson  44.  Weights  and  Measures 

Lesson  45.  The  Department  Store 

Lesson  46.  The  Savings  Bank 

Lesson  47.  Plumbers  at  Work 

Lesson  48.  Comparison  of  Adjectives    . 

Lesson  49.  Carpenters  at  Work   . 

Lesson  50.  The  Music  of  Labor     . 

Lesson  51.  Pronouns         .... 

Lesson  52.  Applying  for  a  Position 

Lesson  53.  The  Public  Library 

Lesson  54.  Education       .... 

Lesson  55.  Newspapers    .... 

Lesson  56.  Nobody's  Child 

Lesson  57.  The  Order  of  Words  in  Sentences 

Lesson  58.  Description  of  a  Picture    . 

Lesson  59.  The  Perfect  Tense 

Lesson  60.  List  of  Irregular  Verbs     . 

Lesson  61.  Words  of  Opposite  Meaning 

Lesson  62.  Possessive  Nouns  . 

Lesson  63.  Picture  to  be  Described     . 

Lesson  64.  Telling  Time 

Lesson  65.  The  Months  of  the  Year    . 

Lesson  66.  Spring      ..... 

Lesson  67.  Summer 

Lesson  68.  Autumn 


lO 


CONTENTS 


Lesson    69.  Winter  .         .         .         . 

Lesson    70.  Picture  to  be  Described  . 

Lesson    71.  Weather  Terms  . 

Lesson    72.  Public  Signs 

Lesson    73.  Public  Signs  to  be  Learned 

Lesson    74.  Letter  Writing   . 

Lesson    75.  Sample  Short  Letters 

Lesson    76.  Common  Abbreviations 

Lesson    77.  Picture  to  be  Described   . 

Lesson    78.  The  Old  Man  and  his  Sons 

Lesson    79.  The  Dog  and  the  Shadow 

Lesson    80.  The  Travelers     . 

Lesson    81.  The  Goose  and  the  Golden  Eggs 

Lesson    82.  The  Lion  and  the  Mouse  . 

Lesson    83.  Good  Manners 

Lesson    84.  Colors  ,         .         .         . 

Lesson    85.  The  Discovery  of  America 

Lesson    86.  The  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims 

Lesson    87.  Thanksgiving  Day 

Lesson    88.  George  Washington  — I 

Lesson    89.  George  Washington  —  II    . 

Lesson    90.  Abraham  Lincoln  —  I 

Lesson    91.  Abraham  Lincoln  —  II 

Lesson    92.  Short  Lessons  in  Civics 

Lesson    93.  The  Police  Department     . 

Lesson    94.  The  Fire  Department 

Lesson    95.  The  Street  Cleaning  Department 

Lesson    96.  The  Health  Department  . 

Lesson    97.  Hygiene         .... 

Lesson    98  How  the  City  raises  its  Money 

Lesson    99.  State  Government 

Lesson  100.  National  Government 

Lesson  loi.  Naturalization    . 

Lesson  102.  Registration  of  Voters 

Lesson  103.  Elections       .... 

Lesson  104.  Rights  and  Duties 

Lesson  105.  City  Life  and  Country  Life 

Lesson  106.  Opportunities  in  Agriculture 

Lesson  107.  America  our  Home 

Lesson  108.  The  United  States  Flag   . 


METHOD  OF   APPLICATION 

For  the  application  of  the  material  contained  in  this  book,  the 
following  method,  used  in  classroom  with  marked  success  for  the 
past  several  years,  is  recommended. 

READING  AND   CONVERSATION 

The  printed  combinations  in  Lesson  i  are  put  on  the 
board  in  alphabetical  order.  The  teacher  gives  the 
sound  of  short  a,  and  then  takes  up  each  consonant  in 
combination  with  that  sound,  the  pupils  following  the 
teacher,  individually  and  in  concert,  in  pronouncing 
each  combination. 

When  these  combinations  have  become  familiar  to 
most  of  the  pupils,  the  final  e  is  added  to  the  syllable, 
and  the  resulting  long  a  sound  drilled  on  as  with  the 
short  a.  Lesson  2  is  then  taken  up,  the  teacher  and 
the  pupils  in  turn  pronouncing  the  words  listed  under 
the  short  a. 

The  sentences  are  read,  the  teacher  pronouncing  each 
word  distinctly,  and  the  pupils  following  individually 
and  in  concert.  The  sentences  are  treated  objectively 
to  help  the  pupils  understand  their  meanings.  If  the 
teacher  can  speak  the  mother  tongue  of  the  pupils,  it  is 
better  in  the  first  few  lessons  to  translate  the  more  diffi- 
cult words. 

The  words  and  sentences  in  connection  with  long  a. 


12     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

broad  a  and  open  a  are  then  studied  similarly  in  the 
order  given. 

It  is  advisable  to  go  over  the  first  few  lessons  thor- 
oughly, repeating  the  combinations  and  words  again 
and  again  if  necessary.  This  familiarizes  the  pupils 
with  the  simple  sounds,  and  gives  them  a  little  con- 
fidence —  conditions  which  have  an  important  bearing 
on  the  facility  with  which  they  will  grasp  later  lessons. 

The  method  described  above  should  be  followed 
through  Lesson  lo,  the  objects  and  actions  as  they  are 
mentioned  being  pointed  out,  or  illustrated  vividly. 
It  is  expected,  however,  that  the  .amount  of  objective 
work  needed  at  each  lesson  will  be  in  inverse  ratio  with 
each  successive  lesson. 

It  is  well  also  to  supplement  these  object  lessons  with 
conversation  (simple  questions  and  answers)  covering 
the  text  or  kindred  topics. 

Lessons  12  to  14,  inclusive,  introduce  objects  and 
conditions  found  in  the  workshop.  The  words  in 
these  lessons  should  be  familiar  to  most  of  the  pupils. 
In  consequence,  these  lessons  (and  the  succeeding  ones) 
should  be  supplemented  with  a  great  deal  of  pertinent 
conversation.  In  conversation  the  teacher  should  in- 
sist upon  receiving  complete  answers  to  the  questions. 
And  in  order  to  facilitate  reading  and  prepare  for  con- 
versation, the  more  diflficult  words  should  be  taken  up 
separately  before  the  general  reading. 

In  the  lessons  following  14  the  verb-forms  are 
studied  in  sentences  covering  topics  of  interest  to 
evening-school  pupils.     It  is  highly  important  that  the 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     13 

pupils  be  thoroughly  drilled  in  these  verb-forms  in  the 
sequence  given.  A  famiUarity  with  them  in  the  dif- 
ferent persons  and  tenses,  and  in  the  negative  and  inter- 
rogative forms,  will  gradually  accustom  the  pupils  to 
correct  expressions  and  will  be  an  invaluable  aid  in  the 
conversations.  To  that  end  the  teacher  should  so 
frame  his  questions  as  to  eUcit  replies  containing  the 
particular  verb-forms  studied  at  the  time. 

Especial  attention  should  be  given  to  the  interroga- 
tive and  negative  forms.  They  comprise  a  very  impor- 
tant part  of  the  language,  and  on  account  of  the  use  of 
the  auxiHaries  "do"  and  ''did,"  offer  very  puzzling 
combinations  to  New  Americans.  It  is,  therefore,  im- 
portant that  the}^  be  given  special  treatment. 

The  value  of  judicious  conversation  cannot  be  over- 
rated. Every  lesson  should  be  supplemented  by  a 
great  deal  of  conversation.  It  is  undeniable  that  the 
more  proficient  the  teacher  is,  the  more  conversation 
does  he  use. 

SPELLING 

Under  the  method  followed  in  this  book  spelling  may 
begin  earUer  than  is  usual  under  other  methods.  This 
is  due  to  the  relationship  of  speUing  to  the  vowel- 
consonant  combinations  in  the  first  part  of  the  book  — 
one  being  the  converse  of  the  other.  The  exact  time 
when  spelling  is  to  begin  depends  on  the  teacher's 
preference  and  on  the  pupils'  aptitude.  For  an  average 
class  it  may  begin  with  Lesson  2. 

V 


14     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

The  method  of  teaching  spelHng  is  the  converse  of 
the  method  of  teaching  reading.  In  the  latter  the 
vowel  is  the  skeleton  of  the  syllable,  while  in  speUing 
the  consonants  form  the  skeleton. 

For  example,  in  teaching  to  spell  the  word  man  the 
m  and  the  n  should  be  placed  on  the  board  in  the  order 
given,  with  a  space  between  the  two  (m..n).  The 
pupils  should  then  be  required  to  find  that  (vowel) 
sound  which  will  connect  the  two  consonant  sounds  to 
form  the  word  man. 

Place  the  following  consonant-skeletons  on  the 
board,  give  sounds  of  words  to  be  formed  and  require 
pupils  to  fill  in  the  necessary  vowels. 


.  .n 

(man) 

. .V. .r 

(over)             p .  .  n   (pen) 

.  .n 

(men) 

. .V. .r 

(ever)              p.  .n   (pin) 

.  .n. 

.*(mine) 

V.  .r. 

.    (very)         . . p . . n  (open) 

m. 

.  rn  .  .  ng 

(morning) 

s.  . 

ng-    ng 

(singing) 

br 

•ng. .ng 

(bringing) 

y- 

.St. .rd.  . 

(yesterday) 

Continue  with  other  combinations. 
WRITING 

In  this  book  writing  is  more  than  incidental  to  the 
reading  or  to  the  spoken  language.  These  are  all  inter- 
woven, and  form  a  complete,  inseparable  whole. 

The  small  letters  are  taken  up  first  because  they  are 
used  more  than  the  capitals.  The  alphabet,  both  of  the 
small   and  the  capital   letters,  is  divided  into  groups. 

*  Review  case  of  final  e  in  long  sounds. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     15 

Each  group  is  composed  of  letters  common  to  a  certain 
root-form.  By  beginning  with  the  root-form  the  entire 
group  may  be  learned  together. 

The  text  in  the  book  furnishes  material  for  copying 
at  first,  while  later  the  verb-forms  and  simple  sentences 
serve  as  foundations  and  models  for  written  sentence- 
building.  It  is  also  serviceable  to  copy  daily,  in  blank 
books,  the  various  verb-forms  for  home  study.  These 
verb-forms  should  be  given  gradually,  starting  with 
only  the  present  tense  positive,  regular  verbs,  then 
gradually  introducing  the  past  and  future  in  the  posi- 
tive, negative  and  interrogative,  regular,  and  soon 
only  irregular  verbs.  This  will  serve  a  triple  purpose. 
It  will  keep  the  ^' early  birds"  busy  before  the  session 
opens ;  will  enrich  the  pupils'  vocabularies ;  and  will 
accustom  them  to  the  correct  use  of  the  forms. 

When  the  pupils  have  become  familiar  with  the  art 
of  sentence  building  they  should  be  given  short  and 
easy  compositions.  The  subjects  for  these  compositions 
should  be  alternately  prescribed  and  elective.  The 
compositions  should  gradually  be  made  longer  and  less 
simple,  until  finally  letter  writing  is  reached.  For 
this  it  is  best  to  begin  b}^  putting  a  short  letter  on  the 
board  and  then  requiring  the  pupils  to  answer  it  in 
their  own  words. 

The  pictures  for  description  will  also  be  found  service- 
able in  teaching  composition.  The  pupils  should  be 
required  to  describe  in  their  own  words  in  writing  what 
they  see  in  each  picture.  The  picture  should  then  be 
made  the  subject  of  oral  discussion  with  the  class. 


l6    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


c7 


f- 


^ 


-7^^ 


THE  ALPHABET 

a  A  % 

b  B  ^ 
c   G 

d  D 
e   E 

f  F  ^ 

g    Cx  ^ 

h  H  u. 

i    T  -2/^ 

j    J  uy- 

k  K  ^ 

1   L  y 

m  M  ^^ 


9^-   nl^ 

/^  pp 

s  S 
t  T 
11  U 

X  X 

y  Y 

z   Z 


PRACTICAL    LESSONS 

LESSON   I 

THE   VOWELS 

a,     e,     2,     o,     u 

(Put  short  a  combinations  on  the  blackboard ;  have  the  class 
pronounce  them  individually  and  in  concert.  Add  final  e  to  each 
combination  and  drill  the  class  on  the  changed  sound  of  a.) 

ab  abe  ag  age  an  ane  av     ave 

ac  ace*  ak  ake  ap  ape  ax 

ad  ade  al  ale  as  ase  az      aze 

af  afe  am  ame  at  ate 

Hints  on  the  Alphabet 

O^         (T         (T         (T         (T         (T 

^     a^      a^     a^      a^     a^ 

^.         d^  d^  ^  {yL  C/L 


f  1 1  f  f-  f 

(T      a^     d^     a-      a^ 

*  c  before  e,  i  and  y  has  the  sound  of  s. 

MARK.  PRAC.  ENG.  —  2  17  "^ 


1 8     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   2 

THE   VOWELS  — Short  a 

am 

maii               can 

has 

cap 

hand               hat 

cat 

(Drill   on   the   words   before   beginning  with   sentences, 
objectively  as  far  as  possible.) 


I  am.  a  man. 

She  is  a  woman. 

I  see  a  man. 

I  see  a  woman. 

I  can  see  a  m^n. 

I  can  see  a  woman. 

The  n\an  has  a  ca^. 

The  m^n  h(2s  a  C(3p  in  his  h^nd, 

The  woman  has  a  h^^t. 

The  h^t  is  on  her  head. 

It  is  a  bkck  hat. 


Treat 


Ware) 
take 


\ 


name 
make 


Long  a 

late 
baker 


cakes 
bakes  '3>*<^ 


He  can\t. 

He  camt  \alt. 

He  canxt  \alt  to  schooL 

He  is  a  b^ker.     He  b^^kes  c<2kes. 

T(3ke  the  pen.     M<2ke  a  mark. 


s" 


«»)*^ 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     19 


LESSON 

3 

THE 

VOWELS - 

-Broad  a 

tall 

wall 

small 

fall 

all 

call 

tall  man 

a  tall  man 

tall  woman 

a  tall  woman 

I  am  a  t^ll  man. 

She  is  a  t^^U  woman. 

He  is  a  short  man. 

She  is  a  short  woman. 

The  man  and  the  woman  are  taW. 

The  man  and  the  woman  are  short. 

This  is  a  desk.     It  is  a  sm.<^ll  desk. 

This  is  a  chair,  (.i^o^^" 

AW  the  chairs  are  sm^^U. 

I  can  see  the  w^^ll.     The  wall  is  white. 

I  see  a  picture  on  the  w^^ll. 


Open  a 

car 

are 

far 

farm 

dark 

bark 

yard^ 

harm 

I  see  a  car.     It  is  a  l^rge  c^^r. 
We  ride  in  cars. 
My  home  is  far  from  the  shop. 
It  is  dark.     Hark  !  the  dog  b<2rks. 
The  dog  is  in  the  yard. 


V 


20    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON  4 

THE  ' 

VOWELS 

< 

Short  e 

Long 

e 

eb 

en 

ebe 

ene 

ec 

ep 

ece 

epe 

ed 

es,  esh 

ede 

ese 

ef 

et 

efe 

ete 

eg 

ev 

ege 

eve 

ek 

ex 

eke 

el 

ez 

ele 

eze 

' 

1 

^ints  on  1 

the  Alphabet 

JJJJ  ..^.^.UUa 

-I 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

4- 

^ 

# 

A 

A 

A 

-A 

A 

A 

A 

A 

Av 

-v      -i^     -Th     -m- 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    21 


LESSON 

5 

THE   VOWELS 

(Use  ^*  pen," 

"desk," 

"paper,"  etc., 
Short  e 

in  object 

lesson.) 

desk 

send 

bell 

ten 

pen 
Long  e 

men 

me 
be 

her 

she 
we 

I  have  a  pen. 

He  has  a  p<fn. 

She  has  a  p^n. 

I  write.     I  write  with  a  p^fn. 

I  write  on  paper. 

I  write  on  paper  with  a  p<fn.  pen 

The  paper  is  on  the  d^sk. 

The  book  is  on  the  d^sk. 

Please  give  me  the  book. 

We  read  in  books. 

We  write  on  paper. 

We  can  write  on  paper  with  a  p^fn. 

We  can  write  on  paper  with  a  pencil. 

I  have  a  p^n  and  a  p<fncil. 


V 

Pencil 


Note.     Supplement  each  lesson  with  simple  questii^ns. 


22     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


her 

sister 

letter 


LESSON  6 

THE   VOWELS 
e  before  r 
mother 
paper 
farmer 


father 
better 
later 


Hints  on  the  Alphabet 


^ 


O 


^ 


^ 


ly 


Uy       U^       OO       OO       Uy       Uy 

^      ^      ^      ^     ^-     ^ 
Ay     Ay     A.     yiy     A.     Ay 


-^      ^      ^      ^      ^      ^ 
c^        (I        ^        C'        ^        c^ 

ly         J^     .     Uy       ^       Aly       ^  d 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    23 


LESSON  7 

THE 

VOWELS 

Short  I 

Long  i 

Short 

i 

Long  I 

ib 

ibe 

in 

ine 

ic 

ice 

ip 

ipe 

id 

ide 

is, 

ish 

ise 

if 

ife 

it 

ite 

ig 

ige 

iv 

ive 

ik 

ike 

ix 

il 

ile 

iz 

ize 

im 

ime 

>    Short  i 

Long 

i 

in 

him 

ink 

white 

ride 

nice 

big 

sit 

%^ 

time 

nine 

price 

is 

dip 

pencil 

mine 

line 

fine 

ir 


sir. 


bir4^        girl,         shirt 


Here  is  a  pen. 

I  dzp  the  pen  mto  the  mk. 

I  write  with  the  pen.     I  write  on  paper. 

You  have  no  mk.     You  write  with  a  penczl. 

The  teacher  writes  wzth  chalk.  ^    ' 

The  teacher  writes  on  the  board. 

The  chalk  zs  white.     The  walls  are  white  also. 


24     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   8 
THE   VOWELS 


Short  o 

ob 
oc 
od 
of 

og 
ok 
ol 
om 


Long  o 

obe 

oce 

ode 

ofe 

oge 

oke 

ole 

ome 


Short  o 

Con'; 
op 
or 

OS 

ot 
ov 
ox 
oz 


Long  o 

one 

ope 
ore 
ose 
ote 
ove 

oze 


on 
clock 


Short  o 

■J 

of        for 
or         short 


Long  o 

store        hole        stove 
home       rose        stone 


on  the  wall 
in  the  box 
on  the  desk 
with  a  pen 


clock 
a  clock 
a  big  clock 
on  the  wall 


See  the  clock. 

It  is  a  big  clock. 

It  hangs  on  the  wall. 

Clocks  tell  time. 

What  time  is  it  .^ 

It  is  two  o'clock. 

Here  is  a  box. 

There  are  pens  and  pencils  in  the  box. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     25 

What  can  you  do  with  the  pencil  ? 

I  can  write  with  the  pencil. 

Take  a  pen  from  the  box  for  me. 

I  can  write  with  a  pen. 

Put  the  pen  on  the  desk.  (/^u^-^ 

Here  is  some  paper. 

Write  on  the  paper. 


Hints  on  the  Alphabet 

^^  ^^  -T^  ^^  '7^  -7^ 

^m  ^?7L  OTb  ^T^TL  ^7^n  ^TTV 

'1/-'        -ZA-      ^y-      a^  -2^  -TA- 

^  <?^            O^             <r  <K  <K 

A^                  A^               A^                A^  A^                A^ 

J-    J-  J-   -Y-  J-  Y- 

T  T    T    T  T  T 


-72-    ^m     ^1/-     -x 


J-  r 


26     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON 

9 

THE 

VOWELS 

Short 

u 

Long  u 

( 

Short 

u 

Long  u 

ub 

ube 

un 

une 

uc 

uce 

up 

upe 

ud 

ude 

ur 

ure 

uf 

ufe 

us 

use 

ug 

uge 

• 

ut 

ute 

uk 

uke 

uv 

uve 

ul 

ule 

ux 

um 

ume 

uz 

uze 

Short 

u 

Long 

u 

shut        cut 

nut 

pure 

sure 

tune 

plum       much 

sun 

June 

use 

cure 

The  door  is  open. 

Shut  the  door. 

Turn  the  knob. 

Open  the  door. 

The  window  is  open. 

FuW  it  down. 

The  window  is  closed. 

Open  the  window. 

Fush  it  up. 

The  window  is  open  again. 

Where  is  your  book  ? 

It  is  on  the  floor. 


Apple 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     27 

Please  pick  it  up. 

Put  it  on  the  desk. 

Here  is  an  apple. 

Cut  it  in  two. 

What  have  you  in  your  hand  ? 

I  have  some  plz^ms. 

Do  you  like  plwms  ^ 

Yes,  I  like  them  very  much. 

Do  you  like  n^^ts  ^ 

Yes,  I  like  m^ts  also. 

Here  is  some  water. 

It  is  purt  water. 

P^^re  water  is  good  to  drink. 

Hints  on  the  Alphabet 


Ph 


71  71  n  71  n 

7?l  771  771  7?t  ''m^ 


<7r  ^  J  (znin 
^  ^  J  an 


28     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON    lo 

THE   VOWELS  ^ 

y  is  sometimes  a  consonant,  sometimes  a  vowel, 
y  is  a  vowel  when  it  has  sound  of  i. 
y  is  a  consonant  at  beginning  of  words. 

2/  as  a  vowel 


my 
try 
by 

cry             many 
fly               only 
why           Harry 

y  as  a  consonant 

Henry 

carry 

marry 

yes 
yet 

year 
your 

Exercises 

young 
yesterday 

'hat  is 

you 

r  name  ? 

My  name  is  William. 

That  is  a  pretty  name. 

What  is  your  brother's  name  } 

His  name  is  Henry. 

We  call  him  Harry. 

Harry  is  my  brother. 

Fanny  is  my  sister. 

There  are  five  in  my  family. 

How  many  are  there  in  your  family  ? 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW   AMERICANS    29 

There  are  only  four  in  my  family. 

You  have  a  small  family. 

How  old  is  your  brother  Henry  ? 

He  is  ten  years  old. 

How  old  is  your  sister  Fanny  ? 

She  is  nine  years  old. 

Your  little  sister,  Lucy,  is  very  young. 

Yes,  she  is  only  three  years  old. 

Hints  on  the  Alphabet 


^7- 


(^  c?  c?  cr    (^  CT' 


J   J 


(Z  (Z  (Z  (Z  (Z  (Z 


30    PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   II 
THE   SCHOOLROOM 


I  am  in  a  schoolroom. 

Here  is  my  desk. 

I  have  paper  on  my  desk. 

I  have  a  pen  in  my  hand.     I  write  with  the  pen. 

Henry  has  no  pen.     He  has  a  pencil. 

He  writes  with  the  pencil. 

The  teacher  has  chalk  in  her  hand. 

She  writes  on  the  blackboard. 

The  door  is  open.     The  windows  are  closed. 

Open  the  windows.     Shut  the  door. 

Where  is  the  clock  .' 

The  clock  hangs  on  the  wall. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    31 
LESSON    12 


THE   SHOP 

home  a  shop  in  a  shop 

lunch  clean  work 

eight  big  walk 

I  work. 

I  work  in  a  shop. 

Do  you  work  in  a  shop  } 

What  kind  of  shop  is  it  ^ 

What  is  made  in  it  .? 


ride 
airy 
sunny 


32     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW   AMERICANS 

I  work  in  a  big  shop. 

It  is  a  clean  shop. 

The  shop  has  many  windows. 

The  shop  is  sunny. 

The  shop  is  airy. 

The  windows  are  kept  open. 

I  walk  to  the  shop. 

We  begin  work  at  eight  o'clock. 

We  work  until  twelve  o'clock. 

We  go  to  lunch  at  twelve  o'clock. 

After  lunch  we  go  for  a  walk. 

We  return  to  work  at  one  o'clock. 

We  work  again  until  five  o'clock. 

We  leave  the  shop  at  five  o'clock. 

We  ride  home  from  the  shop. 

I  eat  supper  at  six  o'clock. 

I  go  to  evening  school  at  seven  o'clock. 

I  walk  to  school. 

The  school  closes  at  nine  o'clock. 

I  walk  home  from  school. 


Phonic  Drill 

ai 

au 

aw 

ay 

sail 

saucer 

saw 

say 

mail 

because 

straw 

pay 

train 

caught 

law 

day 

pain 

haul 

draw 

play 

PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR    NEW   AMERICANS     33 


LESSON    13 
THE   CLOTHING   SHOP 
machine  shop  clothing  shop 


in  a  machine  shop 
machinist 
our  home 
coats 


in  a  clothing  shop 

presser 

near  our  home 

trousers 


I  am  a  presser. 

My  brother  is  also  a  presser. 

We  work  in  a  clothing  shop. 

We  press  coats  and  trousers  and  vests. 

We  work  with  press  irons. 

The  irons  must  be  hot. 

If  they  are  too  hot  the  cloth  will  burn. 

Our  shop  is  near  our  home. 

We  walk  to  the  shop  every  day. 

My  father  works  in  a  machine  shop. 

He  is  a  machinist.     He  makes  steel  tools. 

His  shop  is  far  from  our  home.     He  rides  to  work. 


MARK.  PRAC.  ENG. 


34 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON    14 

TRADES 

made 

trade 

coats 

your 
shoe 

boys 
boots 

men 
shoemaker 

where 

our 

train 

live 

take 

home 

What  is  your  trade  ? 

I  am  a  tailor. 

I  make  coats  for  men  and  boys. 

What  is  your  trade  ? 

I  am  a  shoemaker. 

I  work  in  a  shoe  shop. 

I  make  boots  and  shoes. 

Where  is  your  shop  ? 

My  shop  is  in  Lynn. 

Where  is  your  home  ? 

My  home  is  in  Boston. 

I  take  a  train  to  work. 

Where  is  your  shop  ? 

My  shop  is  in  Boston.     I  take  a  car  to  work. 

(Let  pupils  copy  writing  from  blackboard,  using  subject  matter 
of  above  and  previous  texts.) 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    35 
A  LESSON   IN  WRITING 

O'  o  o  a  (J  a  a 

''  c 


^  ^  j^  j3  J)  J}  ^ 

ry         ry        ry        ry        ry        ry 
Cy        Cy       Cy       Cy  .     Cy       Cy 


/n      /n        /n       /n       /n       ^    '    ^ 

c=xLy      czxCy       <=>y^      <=xCy      <=><Ly      c=><Ly      c=><Ly 


Z  Z  X  X  z  zz 


V 


36     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   15 
VERBS 

(Drill  on  these  forms.     Have  pupils  pronounce  them  aloud.) 

Be 

Present  Tense 
is  are 

I  we 


you 

he,  it,  she 

you 
they 

I  am               am  I  ? 

\^  e  are            are  we  ? 

you  are          are  you  ? 
he  is                is  he  ? 

you  are          are  you  ? 
they  are        are  they  ? 

I  am  here. 

You  are  there. 

He  is  in  the  schoolroom. 

We  are  in  the  schoolroom. 

They  'are  on  the  street. 

Where  are  you  .^ 

I  avi  at  home. 

Where  is  she  ? 

She  is  m  the  shop. 

Who  is  that  man  ? 

He  is  Mr.  Ross. 

What  is  his  trade  ^. 

He  is  a  carpenter. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    37 

Where  are  your  parents  ? 
They  are  in  America. 
My  parents  are  in  Russia. 
They  are  too  old  to  come  here. 


meat 
hear 
sea 
near 

tea     v'^v 
dear     -- 
cream 

(Provide  pupils  with  blank  books.  Beginning  with  this  lesson 
have  pupils  every  evening  copy  verb-forms,  in  the  tenses  studied, 
for  home  study.) 

A  Lesson  in  Writing 


Phonic  Drill 

meet 

new 

feet 

few 

see 

blew 

feel 

flew 

heel 

threw 

free 

drew 

tree 

dew 

71  71  71  71  U  71  26 


V 


38     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   16 

NUMBERS 

I  one 

1st  first 

2  two 

2nd  second 

3  three 

3rd  third 

4  four 

4th  fourth 

5  five 

5th  fifth 

6  six 

6th  sixth 

7  seven 

7th  seventh 

8  eight 

8th  eighth 

9  nine 

9th  ninth 

lo  ten 

loth  tenth 

II  eleven 

nth  eleventh 

12  twelve 

1 2th  twelfth 

13  thirteen 

13th  thirteenth 

14  fourteen 

14th  fourteenth 

15  fifteen 

15  th  fifteenth 

16  sixteen 

i6th  sixteenth 

17  seventeen 

17th  seventeenth 

18  eighteen 

1 8th  eighteenth 

19  nineteen 

19th  nineteenth 

20  twenty 

20th  twentieth 

30  thirty 

30th  thirtieth 

40  forty 

40th  fortieth 

50  fifty 

50th  fiftieth 

100  one  hundred 

looth  one  hundredth 

1000  one  thousand 

loooth  one  thousandth 

PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    39 

LESSON    17 
VERBS 

Be 

Past  Tense 
was  were 

I  was  was  I  ?  we  were        were  we  ? 

you  were  were  you  ?     you  were       were  you  ? 
he  was      ^as  he  ?     ]    they  were     were  they  ? 
she  was     was  she  ? 
it  was        was  it  ? 

Where  were  you  yesterday  ? 
I  was  at  the  theater. 
Where  was  your  sister  ? 
She  was  with  me. 
Was  it  a  good  play  ? 
It  was  a  very  good  play. 
Was  your  cousin  there  ? 
He  was  not  there. 
Where  was  he  ? 
He  was  at  the  store. 
Where  was  your  brother  } 
He  was  sick  at  home. 
Where  were  you  last  night  ? 
We  were  all  at  home. 
We  were  too  tired  to  go  out. 


40    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

Where  were  your  parents  last  Sunday  ? 
They  were  out  for  a  walk. 
Were'you  with  them  ? 
Yes,  I  was  with  them. 

(Frame  simple  questions  that  will  elicit  replies  containing  the  par- 
ticular verb-forms.  Have  pupils  copy  pronouns  and  verb-forms 
in  blank  books.) 


LESSON   i8 

VERBS 

Be 

Future  Tense 

I  shall  be 

shall  I  be  ? 

you  will  be 

will  you  be  ? 

he  will  be 

will  he  be  ? 

we  shall  be 

shall  we  be  ? 

you  will  be 

will  you  be  ? 

they  will  be 

will  they  be  ? 

I  shall  he  at  your  home  to-morrow. 
What  time  will  you  be  there  ? 
I  shall  be  there  after  supper. 
Who  will  be  with  you  ? 
My  brother  will  he  with  mxe. 
Will  your  sister  be  at  home  ? 
No,  she  will  not  be  there. 
Who  else  will  be  there  ? 
My  cousins  will  be  with  us. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    41 


I  have 
you  have 
he  has 


LESSON   19 

VERBS 

Have 

Present  Tense 
have  I  ?         we  have 
have  you  ?    you  have 
has  he  ?  they  have 

.    Past  Tense 


have  we  ? 
have  you  ? 
have  they  ? 


had  we  ? 
had  you  ? 
had  they  ? 


Here  are  two  books 


I  had      had  I  ?     we  had 
you  had    had  you  ?   you  had 
he  had     had  he  ?    they  had 

I  have  a  book. 

It  is  a. small  book. 

He  has  a  green  book. 

Have  you  a  book  .^ 

I  have  no  book. 

Here  is  a  book. 

Now,  have  all  of  you  books  ? 

We  all  have  books.     They  are  blue  books 

The  other  pupils  have  books  also. 

Have  they  blue  books  } 

No,  they  have  green  books. 

We  had  green  books  last  week. 

They  had  blue  books  last  week. 

Have  you  pen  and  ink  .? 

I  have  no  pen  and  ink. 

V 


42     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON    20 
REVIEW 

be,    am,    is,    are,    was,    were,    have, 
had,    has,    shall,    will 

What  have  you  ? 

I  have  a  pencil. 

I  had  pen  and  ink  last  night. 

Has  he  paper  ? 

Yes,  he  has  paper. 

Has  she  paper  ? 

She  has  no  paper. 

Here  is  paper  for  you. 

Where  are  you  ? 

I  am  in  a  schoolroom. 

Where  is  your  teacher  ? 

She  is  also  in  the  schoolroom. 

What  have  you  in  your  hands  ? 

We  have  books  in  our  hands. 

Has  your  teacher  a  book  ? 

Yes,  she  also  has  a  book. 

Have  you  books  every  evening  ^ 

Yes,  we  have  books  every  evening. 

Were  you  in  this  room  last  month  ^ 

We  were  not  in  this  room  last  month. 

Where  will  you  be  next  month  .? 

We  shall  be  in  this  room. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    43 

LESSON   21 
O   FOLLOWED   BY   OTHER   VOWELS 


oa 

Ol 

00 

OU 

ow 

coat 

boil 

school 

our 

now 

coal 

toil 

look 

flour 

cow 

soap 

coin 

moon 

hour 

how 

boat 

join 

food 

sour 

down 

throat 

soil 

too             out 
Review  Drill 

bow 

air 
sail 

meat 
sea 

boy 

joy 

rain 
train 

tea   • 
hear 

enjoy 
know 

saucer 

see 

show 

saw 
law 
day 

fleet 
free 
feel 

grow 

spoon 

spool 

pay 
say 

new 
few 

fun 
shut 

Sentence  Building 

Require    the    pupils    to    build    short    sentences, 
using  the  following  words  : 

books  pen 

teacher  clock 

school  desk 


44 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   22 

(Drill  on  use  of  "this,"  "that,"  etc.     Use  in  object  lesson.) 
THE   BODY 


head 

see 

speak 

taste 

hair 

two 

mouth 

neck 

face 

nose 

breathe 

wear 

wash 

smell 

eat 

collar 

eyes 

ours 

teeth 

shoulders 

every 

hear 

tongue 

arms 

thumb 

finger 

ride 

hands 

legs 

feel 

walk 

toes 

feet 

shoes 

run 

stockings 

this 


that 


these 


those 


This  is  my  head. 

I  have  hair  on  my  head. 
That  is  your  head. 
This  is  my  face. 
I  wash  my  face  every  day. 
These  are  my  eyes. 
I  have  two  eyes. 
I  can  see  with  my  eyes. 

/g^  These  are  my  ears. 

JM         I  have  two  ears. 

^  I  can  hear  with  my  ears. 


■^^       -^^^ 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    45 

This  is  my  nose. 
I  can  smell  with  my  nose. 
I  can  breathe  through  my  nose. 
This  is  my  mouth. 
That  is  your  mouth. 

You  can  eat  with  your  mouth.  .^l^Z^x 

We  can  speak  with  our  mouths.  ^ 

These  are  my  teeth. 

They  are  m  my  mouth. 
I  bite  anctchew  with  my  teeth. 
You  have  teeth. 
They  are  in  your  mouth. 
This  is  my  tongue. 
My  tongue  is  between  my  lips. 
I  touch  my  chin. 

I  wear  a  collar  around  my  neck. 
I  have  two  shoulders. 
I  have  two  arms. 
I  have  two  hands. 
We  can  do  many  things  with  our 
hands. 
We  can  write  with  our  hands. 
We  work  with  our  hands. 
I    have     eight     fingers     and     two 
thumbs. 

We  can  feel  with  our  fingers. 

I  have  two  legs. 

We  can  walk  with  our  legs. 


46     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

The  child  can  run  with  his  legs. 

He  has  two  feet. 

He  wears  shoes  and  stockings  on 
his  feet. 

He  has  ten  toes,  eight  small  and  two 
big  toes. 


Final  s  having  sound  of  z 

has  is  hers  yours 

was  his  ours  ,  boys 

news  pans  days  goes 

please         hands  shoes  girls 


LESSON   23 

THE   PROGRESSIVE   FORM 

(Drill  on  these  forms.     Show  their  significance  clearly.     Com- 
pare with  the  other  forms.) 


Present  Tense 

I  am  going 
you  are  going 
he  is  going 

we  are  going 
you  are  going 
they  are  going 


Past  Tense 

I  was  going 
you  were  going 
he  was  going 

we  were  going 
you  were  going 
they  were  going 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH    FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    47 

Who  is  that  walking  on  the  street  ? 

I  think  it  is  my  brother. 

Where  is  he  going? 

He  is  going  to  the  evening  school. 

Where  are  you  going? 

I  am  going  there  too. 

Do  you  go  to  evening  school  ? 

Yes,  but  I  go  to  a  different  school. 

It  is  near  my  home. 

Where  were  you  going^  this  morning  ? 

I  was  going  to  work. 

I  am  coming  from  work  now. 

What  is  he  doing? 

He  is  writing. 

What  is  he  writing? 

He  is  writing  a  letter. 

What  were  you  doing? 

I  was  reading  a  book. 

What  is  the  teacher  doing? 

She  is  talking  to  us. 

Where  is  the  teacher  ? 

She  is  standing  at  her  desk. 

We  are  sitting  at  our  desks. 


walk    walking 
work   working 
read     reading 
stand  standing 


come  commg 
write  writing 
move  moving 
give     giving 


sit  sitting 

run  running 

get  getting 

dip  dipping 


48     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 
LESSON  24 


SILENT   LETTERS 

(For  drill  in  enunciation.) 
silent  b  silent  k  silent  I 


final  e 


lamb 

^nife 

wa/k 

fin^ 

comb 

y^neel 

ta/k 

shin^ 

dumb 

^now 

r 

ca/m 

fixe 

thumZ? 

^nee 

ha/f 

cam^ 

clim^ 

^nock 

cou/d 

hom^ 

plumZ^er 

^nob 

wou/d 

mor^ 

silent  gh 

silent  t 

silent  w 

fight 

often 

writt 

Wght 

soften 

wxott 

night 

whis/le 

k 

^rong 

right 

casde 

wring 

throug/^ 

husde 

wreck 

thou^At 

busde 

z^rench 

Mary  had  a  Y\tt\e  lam^, 

Its  fleece  was  whit^  as  snow ; 

And  everywher<f  that  Mary  went, 

The  lam^  was  sur<f  to  go. 

It  went  with  her  to  school  one  day, 

Which  was  against  the  ruld" ; 

It  mad^  the  children  lawgh  and  play 

To  see  a  lam^  at  school. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    49 

LESSON   25 

ON   THE   CAR 

"Good  evening,  Sarah  ;  where  are  you  going  ?" 
"I  am  going  for  a  car  ride.     It  is  very  warm. 

Would  you  like  to  come  with  me, 

Jennie  .?" 

"Yes,  I  shall  be  glad  to  go." 
"Here  comes  the  car.     Let  us 

run  to  a  white  post.     Raise  your 

hand,  Jennie,  and  the  motorman  will  stop  the  car 

for  us." 

"There  are  two  seats  in  the  third   row.     Let 

us  take  them." 

"The  conductor  is  coming  to  collect  the  fares." 
"What  is  the  fare  to  the  park,  Sarah  .?" 
"The  fare  is  five  cents." 
"Here  is  a  dime.     Hand  it  to  the  conductor. 

I  shall  pay  now,  and  you  may  pay  coming  back." 
"I  wonder  where  all  these  people  are  going." 
"Some    are    going   to   their   work.     Some    are 

going  to  the  market.     And  some  are  going  to  the 

park." 

"Here  are  some  children.     They  are  going  to 

school." 

"How  fast  the  car  runs  ! " 

"Yes,  we  shall  soon  be  at  the  park." 

"What  a  fine  day  it  is  !     How  bright  the  sun  is  !" 

MARK.  PRAC.  ENG. 4 


50     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   26 
REGULAR  VERBS 

(Show  how  the  past  tense  of  regular  verbs  is  formed.) 

Present  Tense 

work 

I  work  we  work 

you  work  you  work 


he  workj 


I  work^J 
you  work^J 
he  work^(i 


I  shall  work 
you  will  work 
he  will  work 


they  work 

Past  Tense 

worked 

we  work^(f 
you  work^^ 
they  work^^ 

Future  Tense 
work 

we  shall  work 
you  will  work 
they  will  work 


I  work  in  a  shop. 

He  workj-  in  a  store. 

They  work  in  a  factory. 

We  work^<i  hard  yesterday. 

We  shall  work  hard  to-morrow  too. 


PRACTICAL    ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    51 

We  are  busy  at  our  shop. 

It  is  a  busy  season  now. 

You  work  fast. 

She  workj  slowly. 

I  walk  to  the  shop. 

He  walkj  home  from  work. 

He  walked  to  the  station. 

We  shall  walk  to  work  to-morrow. 

I  shall  walk  to  school  this  evening. 

I  talk. 

I  talk  to  you. 

You  talk  to  me. 

The  teacher  talkj  to  us. 

I  shall  talk  to  the  teacher. 

You  will  talk  to  her,  also. 

She  will  talk  to  the  pupils. 

We  shall  talk  while  we  walk. 

The  children  will  walk  while  they  talk. 

You  will  all  talk  to-morrow. 

(Have  pupils  fill  in  the  following  blanks  with  correct  verb-forms, 
using  parts  of  the  verb  "work"  :) 

I hard  yesterday. 

I every  day. 

We to-morrow. 

He in  an  office. 

She in  a  store. 

They in  my  shop  last  week. 


52     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON    27 

Like  —  INTERROGATIVE  FORM 

Present  Tense 

do  like 

do  I  like  ?  do  we  like  ? 

do  you  like  ?  do  you  like  ? 

does  he  like  ?  do  they  like  ? 

Past  Tense 

did  like 

did  I  like  ?  did  we  like  ? 

did  you  like  ?  did  you  like  ? 

did  he  like  ?  did  they  like  ? 

Future  Tense 

will  like 

shall  I  like  ?  shall  we  like  ? 

will  you  like  ?  will  you  like  ?. 

will  he  like  ?  will  they  like  ? 

Were  you  at  the  theater  last  night  ? 

Yes,  we  were  there. 

Did  you  like  the  play  ? 

We  liked  it  very  well. 

Did  you  like  your  seats  ? 

Yes,  we  had  good  seats. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW   AMERICANS    53 

'      LESSON  28 

IzTee  —  NEGATIVE   FORM 

Present  Tense 

do  not  like 

I  do  not  like  we  do  not  like 

you  do  not  like  you  do  not  like 

he  does  not  like  they  do  not  like 

Past  Tense 

did  not  like 

I  did  not  like  we  did  not  like 

you  did  not  like  you  did  not  like 

he  did  not  like  they  did  not  like 

Future  Tense 

will  not  like 

I  shall  not  like  we  shall  not  like 

you  will  not  like  you  will  not  like 

he  will  not  like  they  will  not  like 

Do  you  like  to  live  in  the  city  ? 

We  do  not  like  to  live  in  the  city. 

We  like  the  country  much  better. 

Why  do  you  like  the  country  ? 

We  like  it  because  the  air  is  purer  there. 


54     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

We  do  not  like  the  noise  in  the  city. 
Does  Henry  Hke  the  country  ? 
No,  he  does  not  Hke  the  country. 
He  Hkes  the  city. 

Did  you  Hke  the  weather  yesterday  ? 
I  did  not  Hke  the  weather  yesterday. 
It  was  too  cold. 

(Drill  persistently  on  the  use  of  idioms  "do"  and  "did.") 

Did  you  close  the  window  ? 

No,  I  did  not  close  the  window. 

Joseph  closed  it. 

Do  you  not  like  it  closed  ? 

I  do  not  like  it  closed. 

I  like  it  open. 

I  like  the  fresh  air. 

Shall  I  open  it  ? 

Yes,  please  open  it  again. 

Did  your  brother  work  to-day  ? 

No,  he  did  not  work  to-day. 

Does  he  not  work  every  day  ? 

They  are  not  busy  now  in  the  shop. 

Will  he  work  to-morrow  ? 

No,  he  will  not  work  to-morrow. 

Your  pencil  is  not  sharp. 

Do  you  want  a  knife  ^ 

No,  thank  you,  I  do  not  want  a  knife. 

I  have  my  own  knife. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     55 

Why  do  you  not  sharpen  your  pencil  ? 
I  shall  not  need  it  any  more. 
Will  you  not  finish  your  writing  ? 
No,  I  shall  not  finish  it  to-night. 
I  shall  finish  it  to-morrow  night. 

(Put  questions  on  blackboard  requiring  pupils  to  write  negative 
replies.)  ^"f^t 

LESSON  29     ' 

OUR   NEW   HOME 

1  live  in  America. 

I  like  America. 

My  brother  likes  America. 

We  all  like  to  live  in  America. 

Where  was  your  old  home  .? 

Our  old  home  was  in  Russia. 

Where  did  you  come  from  } 

I  came  from  Italy. 

Where  is  your  new  home  .^ 

My  new  home  is  in  America. 

Are  your  parents  here  } 

They  are  not  here. 

Where  are  they  .? 

They  are  in  Italy. 

They  do  not  wish  to  come  here. 

They  are  too  old. 


56    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   30 

THE   VOYAGE 

Did    you    like    the    voyage    from    Europe    to 
America  ? 

We  did  not  like  it. 

Why  not  ? 

The  weather  was  very  stormy  and  windy. 

Did  you  feel  sick  ? 

Yes,  we  were  all  seasick  at  first. 

We  shall  not  cross  the  ocean  again. 

We  do  not  like  a  sea  voyage. 

I  have  many  friends  in  Russia. 

They  are  coming  to  America  soon. 

Have  they  tickets  ? 

They  have  tickets. 

Did  you  send  them  the  tickets  ? 

Yes,  we  sent  them  the  tickets  last  month. 

How  many  tickets  did  you  send  ? 

We  sent  six  tickets. 


LESSON 

31 

IRREGULAR 

VERBS 

To  Go 

present 

past 

future 

I  go 

I  went 

I  shall  go 

you  go 

you  went 

you  will  go 

he  goes 

he  went 

he  will  go 

PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     57 


we  go 

we  went 

we  shall  go 

you  go 
they  go 

you  went 
they  went 

you  will  go 
they  will  go 

I  go  to  the  public  library  every  Sunday. 

I  like  to  go  there. 

I  read  books  there. 

Do  you  go  to  the  library  ? 

Yes,  I  go  there  every  Saturday. 

Where  did  you  go  last  night  .? 

I  went  to  the  evening  school. 

Do  you  go  there  every  evening  ? 

Yes,  I  go  there  every  evening. 

Where  were  you  last  night  ^ 

I  was  sick  at  home. 

I  shall  go  to  school  to-morrow  night. 

Where  will  you  go  next  Saturday  night  ? 

I  shall  go  to  the  theater. 

Will  you  come  with  us  ^ 

Yes,  we  shall  go  with  you. 

We  went  visiting  yesterday. 

My  uncle  went  with  us. 

Where  did  you  go  .? 

We  went  to  see  Mrs.  Waters. 

She  lives  in  Brooklyn. 

When  did  you  go  home  ? 

We  went  home  after  supper. 

(Continue  with  daily  copying  of  verb-forms,  irregular,   positive 
negative,  interrogative,  in  the  three  tenses.  —  See  Lessen  61.) 


58     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   32 
AT   A   FIRE 

*'Look,  Henry,  at  the  dark,  thick  smoke  coming 

from  that  window." 

** There  must  be  a  fire  in  that  house,  George." 

"I  think  so,  too ;  let  us  go  and  see." 

*'Here,  Henry,  this  is  the  house.     You  stay  here 

while  I  go  upstairs  to  see  if  there  is  a  fire  there." 


"Very  well,  George." 

"Hurry,  Henry  !     Run  to  the  alarm  box  at  the 
corner    and    ring    in    the    alarm.     Some    children 
overturned  an  oil  stove  and  the  room  is  burning." 
"The  parents  are  away." 
"I  rang  in  the  alarm,  George." 
"Listen  !     I  hear  the  engines  coming." 
"Just  see  the  crowd  of  people  coming  this  way  !" 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     59 

"How  the  engines  are  tearing  through  the 
streets   and   how   loud    the   bells   are   ringing  !" 

''Here  are  the  engines  now!  The  firemen  are 
jumping  off  with  their  axes  and  are  running  up 
the  stairs/' 

"I  think,  George,  they  will  raise  ladders  to 
that  window/* 

"Yes,  see,  they  are  doing  it  now.  How  quickly 
and  easily  they  climb  the  ladders/' 

"The  fireman  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  is  break- 
ing the  windowpanes.  There  he  is,  now,  going 
into  the  room.  How  thick  and  black  the  smoke 
is  !  What  noise  !  Everybody  seems  to  be  shout- 
ing. The  engines  are  puffing.  The  captain  may 
be  heard  giving  his  orders  to  the  firemen.'' 

"See,  they  are  carrying  out  the  little  children." 

"They  are  carrying  them  into  a  neighbor's 
house." 

"Now  they  are  playing  the  hose  into  those 
windows.  Other  firemen  are  carrying  hose  through 
the  hallway." 

"There  is  no  more  smoke  coming  from  the 
windows.     Perhaps  the  fire  is  out  now." 

"Yes,  the  firemen  are  carrying  the  hose  back 
to  the  wagons.  They  are  beginning  to  roll  them 
up.     They   are    also   taking   down    the   ladders." 

"  Hear  the  bells  ringing !  The  engines  are 
beginning  to  return.     The  fire  is  over." 


6o    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   33 

CONVERSATIONAL   FORMS 

*' Good  morning,  Mr.  Baker." 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Smith." 

"  How  are  you  ?  " 

'^  I  am  well,  thank  you.     How  are  you  ?" 

'*  Very  well,  thank  you." 

''  How  are  your  folks  ^  " 

^*They  are  quite  well." 

"Take  a  seat,  Mr.  Smith." 

"Thank  you." 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you  ? " 

"  I  came  to  see  you  on  business." 

"  I    beg   your    pardon,    sir,    where    is    Market 
Street  .? " 

"I  do  not  know,  sir." 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,  where  is  Main  Street  .^ " 

"  Main  Street  is  the  second  street  on  your  left." 

"  Can  you  speak  English  ^ " 
"  I  cannot  speak  English  very  well." 
"  Do  you  understand  English  ^  " 
"I  understand  it  a  little." 

"  What  is  your  name  .^  " 

"  My  name  is  Antonio  Rosetta." 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?  " 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    6 1 

''  I  live  on  Green  Street." 
"  Where  were  you  born  ?  " 
**  I  was  born  in  Italy.'* 

^*  How  do  you  do,  William  .? " 

"  How  are  you,  George  ? "  ^^X^ 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you." 

"  How  is  everything  ?  " 

''  Fine,  thank  you." 

"  How  is  business  ?  " 

"Very  good." 

"  I   beg  your   pardon,   did  you  lose  this  purse, 
madam  } " 

"Yes,  sir.     Thank  you." 
"  You  are  welcome." 

"  Good  evening,  Mrs.  Brown." 
"  Good  evening,  Mrs.  Olson." 
"  Sit  down,  please.     What  is  the  news  } " 
"  I  received  a  letter  from  home  to-day." 
"  Remember  me  to  your  folks  when  you  write 
to  them." 

"Yes,  I  shall  send  them  your  regards." 

"Good  night,  Mrs.  Brown." 

"Good  night,  Mrs.  Olson." 

"Call  again." 

"  Yes,  thank  you,  I  shall  be  glad  to  call." 


62     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   34 
OUR   TRIP   TO   AMERICA 


come 


came 


last 

next 

stormy 

pleasant 

year 

seasick 

trip 

ocean 

steamship 

voyage 

train 

deck 

"When  did  you  come  to  America  ?" 

"I  came  here  last  year." 

**Did  you  come  alone  ?" 

"No,  I  came  with  my  mother  and  sisters." 

"Did  you  come  from  Germany  .^" 

"No,  I  came  from  Austria." 

"Did  you  have  a  pleasant  voyage  ?" 

"No,    it   was   very   stormy   while   crossing 


the 


ocean. 

it 


How  long  were  you  on  the  ocean  ?" 
"We  were  on  the  water  about  ten  days." 
"Tell  me  about  your  trip  to  America." 
"We  went  by  train  from  Vienna  to  Hamburg. 
We  remained  in  Hamburg  a  day.     The  next  day 
we  took  the  ocean  steamship,  President  Lincoln, 
for  America.     We  met  some  friends  on  board  the 
ship.     They  were  fine  people.     At  first  some  of 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    63 

US  were  seasick.     Afterwards,  we  felt  better.     So 
we  sat  on  deck  reading  books  about  America.'' 

(Conversation.     Personal    recollections    of    pupils    on    trip    to 
America.) 

LESSON  35  ^         • 

WORK 

plumber  wages  dollars  language 

work  learn  find  English 

earn  soon  speak  week 

'*Are  you  working  now  V 
*'Yes,  I  work  in  a  shop  on  Market  Street." 
"What  kind  of  work  do  you  do  .?" 
"I  am  a  plumber." 

"Did  you  find  work  as  soon  as  you  came  to 
America  .? " 

"No;  it  was  hard  to  find  work  at  first." 

"Why  was  it  hard  to  find  work  .?" 

"I  could  not  speak  the  English  language." 

"How  did  you  learn  to  speak  so  well  .?" 

"I  went  to  evening  school  every  night." 

"Do  you  earn  good  wages  ?" 

"I  earn  twelve  dollars  a  week." 

"Do  you  work  hard  .^" 

"Yes,  I  do  work  hard,  but  I  like  the  work." 

"Where  do  you  live  .?" 

"My  home  is  on  State  Street." 


64     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   36 
THE    HOME 


rooms 

home 

lounge 

furniture 

parlor 

rocking-chair 

best 

sitting  room 

rug 

piano 

dining  room 

sideboard 

sofa 

bedroom 

silverware 

chairs 

kitchen 

glassware 

carpet 

floor 

ice  chest 

dishes 

hall 

sugar 

flour 

pantry- 

fruit 

There  are  six  rooms  in  our  house. 

One  room  is  the  parlor.  It  is  in  the  front  of  the 
house.  We  have  our  best  furniture  in  this  room. 
We  also  have  a  piano,  a  sofa  and  chairs  there.  On 
the  floor  there  is  a  very  pretty  carpet.  The  parlor 
is  the  room  where  we  receive  our  friends. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    65 

The  next  room  is  our  sitting  room.  This  is 
the  room  where  we  sit  and  talk.  We  also 
read  in  this  room.  We  have  a  lounge,  a  rocking- 
chair  and  other  chairs  there.  This  room  has  a 
rug  on  the  floor.  ^   ^ 

From  this  room  we  pass  into  the  dming  room. 
This  is  where  we  eat  our  meals.  It  has  a  large 
table  with  chairs  around  it.  It  has  also  a  large 
sideboard  where  we  keep  our  silverware  and 
glassware. 


Across  the  hall  are  the  bedrooms.  These  are 
the  rooms  where  we  sleep. 

At  the  end  of  the  hall  is  our  kitchen.  That  is 
the  room  where  mother  cooks,  bakes  and  washes. 
Near  the  kitchen  there  is  a  very  small  room. 
That  is  the  pantry.  We  keep  dishes,  flour,  sugar, 
salt  and  other  things  there.  We  also  have  an 
ice  chest  in  the  kitchen. 


MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. 


66     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


We  use  the  ice  chest  in  summer.  We  put  ice 
in  it.  We  also  put  butter,  milk,  eggs,  fruit, 
vegetables  and  other  things  in  it.  The  ice  keeps 
all  these  things  cool  and  fresh. 

Questions  for  Conversation 

How  many  rooms  has  George  in  his  house  ? 

Name  them. 

Are  the  rooms  large  or  small  r 

Are  they  airy  and  sunriy  .^ 

In  which  room  does  he  keep  his  piano  } 

In  which  room  does  he  sleep  } 

In  which  room  does  he  eat  .? 

On  which  floor  does  he  live  ^. 

(Supplement  with  additional  questions.) 


LESSON  37 
FOODS 


coff^ee 

tea 

cocoa 

milk 

cream 


eggs 

butter 

bread 

pie 

pudding 


orange 

apple 

banana 

pear 

grape 


chicken 

beef 

steak 

mutton 

veal 


**What  did  you  have  for  breakfast  this  morn- 


ing t 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    67 

"First  I  had  an  orange.  I  cut  it  into  halves. 
Then  I  put  sugar  on  it  and  ate  it  with  a  spoon. 
It  tasted  good.  Then  I  had  oatmeal  with  cream. 
After  that  I  ate  boiled  eggs,  and  finished  my 
breakfast  with  a  cup  of  coffee." 

"Do  you  know  what  I  had  for  dinner  to-day  r' 

"No,  what  did  you  have  for  dinner  V 

"I  had  soup  first.  Then  I  had  a  steak.  My 
mother  gave  me  some  chicken  too,  but  I  did  not 
eat  the  chicken.  When  I  finished  my  steak,  I 
had  apple  pie  with  tea." 

"Did  you  have  your  supper  V 

"Yes,  I  did." 

"What  did  you  have  for  supper  V 

"I  had  fried  fi^  with  potatoes  and  green  peas. 
Then  I  ate  some  rice  pudding  with  cream  and 
drank  a  glass  of  milk." 

"What  do  you  have  on  your  table  .? " 

"W^e  have  plates,  cups  and  saucers,  spoons, 
knives  and  forks." 

"We  have  a  tablecloth  on  our  table." 

breakfast         cut  halves  eat 


dinner 

soup 

boiled 

ate 

supper 

peas 

fried 

drank 

spoon 

rice 

fish 

tasted 

cup 

potatoes 

sugar 

finished 

(Use  text  for  conversation  and  dictation.) 


68     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   38 

CLOTHES 

hat 

shirt 

cuffs 

barber  shop 

coat 

suit 

handkerchief 

Europe 

vest 

socks 

underwear 

store 

trousers 

stockings     overcoat 

pair 

collar 

shoes 

brother 

morning 

necktie 

cap 

tired 

suit 

My  brother  Frank  came  from  Europe  last  week. 
He  was  very  tired  when  he  came  to  my  house. 

The  next  day  I  took  him  to  the  store  to  buy 
him  new  clothes.  First  I  bought  him  a  blue 
serge  suit.  There  were  three  pieces  to  the  suit, 
a  coat,  a  vest  and  a  pair  of  trousers. 

Then  I  bought  him  a  hat.  It  was  a  straw  hat. 
It  had  a  black  band  around  it.  In  the  same 
store  I  also  bought  him  two  neckties,  a  half  dozen 
collars,    overshirts,    some    underwear    and    socks. 

Then  we  went  to  a  shoe  store,  where  I  bought 
a  pair  of  low  shoes  for  myself. 

On  the  way  home  I  took  brother  Frank  to  a 
barber  shop  and  had  his  hair  cut. 

When  we  reached  home  he  had  a  bath.  Then 
he  put  on  his  new  things.  When  I  saw  him 
afterwards  I  was  surprised.  He  looked  so  much 
better.     He  looked  like  an  American. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    69 


Questions  for  Conversation 

Who  came  last  week  ? 
Where  did  Frank  come  from  ? 
Who  bought  some  clothes  for  him  ? 
What  clothes  did  she  buy  for  him  ? 
What  did  she  buy  for  herself  ? 


A  friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed.'* 


(Conversation.     The  importance  of  neatness,  etc.^ 


76    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   39 
To,  Too,  Two 

to  —  means  motion  towards 

two  —  is  a  number 

too  —  means  also,  or  more  than  enough„ 

I  went  to  the  store  yesterday. 

I  stayed  there  tzvo  hours. 

I  could  not  stay  longer  because  I  was  too  tired 

My  brother  went  to  Boston  two  days  ago. 

My  sister  wanted  to  go,  too. 

I  shall  go  to  New  York  for  two  weeks. 

I  wish  to  go  there,  too. 

How  long  do  you  wish  to  stay  there  .? 

I  would  like  to  stay  tzvo  months. 

That  is  too  long  for  a  vacation. 

It  costs  too  much  to  stay  away  two  months. 

Fill  the  following  blanks  with  the  right  word 

There  is much  noise  in  this  room. 

The  boy  went the  store. 

This  hat  cost dollars. 

I  like go the  theater . 


Have  you quarters  for  half  a  dollar  ? 

boys  fell  from  the  tree the  ground. 

They  were eager get  down. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS    71 

LESSON  40 
UNITED   STATES  MONEY 


money 

piece 

dime 

smallest 

metal 

copper 

nickel 

quarter 

gold 

bills 

cent 

half-dollar 

'*Take  care  of  the  pennies  and  the  dollars 
will  take  care  of  themselves." 


Coins 

A  coin  is  a  piece  of  metal  money. 
The  cent  is  the  smallest  United  States  coin. 
It  is  made  of  copper  and  tin. 
Five  of  these  cents  make  a  nickel. 
Ten  cents  or  two  nickels  make  a  dime. 
Twenty-five  cents  make  a  quarter. 
Fifty  cents  make  a  half  dollar. 
The  dime,  quarter  and  half  dollar  are  made  of 
silver. 

Paper  Money 

Some  of  our  money  is  made  of  paper.  Such 
money  is  known  as  bills. 

The  smallest  paper  money  is  the  one-dollar  bill. 

There  are  also  two-dollar  bills,  five-dollar  bills, 
ten-dollar  bills  and  twenty-dollar  bills. 

The   larger  bills,  such    as  the  fifty-dollar  bills. 


72     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

hundred-dollar  bills  and  thousand-dollar  bills,  are 
not  in  very  common  use. 

There  are  also  gold  coins.  These  are  not  used  as 
much  as  the  silver  coins.  We  have  a  dollar,  2^-dol- 
lar,  5-dollar,  lo-doUar  and  20-dollar  gold  piece. 

LESSON  41 
THE    MEAT   MARKET 

'*  Where  do  you  buy  your  meat,  Mr.  Baker  V 

**I  buy  my  meat  at  Mr.  Walker's  meat  market." 

"Does  he  sell  good  meat  V 

"Yes,  his  meat  is  always  good  and  fresh." 

"Does  he  sell  mutton  ?" 

"Yes,  he  has  very  good  mutton.  I  think  the 
price  of  it  is  twenty-five  cents  a  pound.  He  also 
sells  good  beef,  veal  and  pork." 

"What  does  he  charge  for  good  steak  ?" 

"He  charges  thirty  cents  a  pound  for  steak.  He 
is  very  reasonable  with  his  prices.  He  also  sells 
fresh  poultry  and  fish." 

At  the  Meat  Market 


meat 

fish 

poultry 

lamb 

salmon 

chicken 

beef 

haddock 

turkey 

mutton 

flounders 

duck 

veal 

halibut 

goose 

pork 

cod 

squab 

PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     73 

LESSON   42 
SINGULAR   AND   PLURAL   NOUNS 


Sing 

jular 

Plural 

^-f 

a  book 

a  lady 

books 

ladies 

an  apple 

a  man 

apples 

men 

a  house 

a  loaf 

houses 

loaves 

a  church 

a  knife 

churches 

knives 

There  is  a  loaf  of  bread  on  the  table. 
There  are  two  loaves  in  the  pantry. 
There  are  many  loaves  at  the  bakery. 
We  cut  bread  with  a  bread  knife. 
There  are  other  knives  used  at  the  table. 
These  men  and  ladies  are  going  to  church. 
To  which  church  are  they  going  ? 
I  do  not  know,  there  are  so  many  churches  in 
this  city. 

There  are  pretty  houses  on  this  street. 
Who  lives  in  that  white  house  ? 
Mr.  Perkins,  the  lawyer,  lives  there. 

Use  the  following  words  in  sentences  in  singular 
and  plural : 

children  baby  tooth  mice 

leaf  price  feet  body 

box  potatoes        scissors  window 


74    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


grocer 

grocery 

yeast 

cake 

salmon 

canned 


bread 

sardines 

quart 

beans 

horse 

wagon 


LESSON   43 

THE   GROCERY   STORE 

price  butter 

peck  honey 

flour  bill 

bag  onions 

granulated  order 

sugar  bake 

It  was  Saturday  morning,  and  Anna  and  her 
mother  were  very  busy. 

"Anna,  we  must  do  our  baking  to-day,"  said  her 
mother.  ''To-morrow  is  Sunday,  and  your  uncle 
Frank  will  be  here  for  dinner.'' 

"What  can  I  do  to  help  you,  mother  ?" 

"You  can  do  many  things.  But  first,  you  may 
go  to  the  grocery  store,  and  give  this  order  to  Mr. 
Black,  the  grocer." 

Anna  took  the  order  and  was  soon  at  the  grocery. 
Mr.  Black  met  her  at  the  door. 

"Good  morning,  Anna,  what  do  you  wish  to 
buy  to-day  ?" 

"Mother  wants  you  to  fill  this  order." 

"Read  it  to  me.  I  will  make  it  up  for  you 
at  once,  for  I  am  not  busy  now." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Black.  I  want  a  bag  of  flour. 
Mother  is  going  to  bake  some  bread  to-day." 

"Would  you  like  some  yeast  ?" 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     75 


//M,i  II  H  {h~i  H    I 


**Yes,  Mr.  Black,  mother  has  forgotten  that, 
but  I  am  sure  she  wants  it.     Give  me  a  cake." 

"Very  well,  what  else  do  you  want  .^" 

"I  want  two  pounds  of  lump  sugar  and  four 
pounds  of  granulated  sugar,  a  pound  of  coffee, 
one  box  of  canned  salmon,  two  boxes  of  sardines 
and  two  dozen  eggs." 

"What  kind  of  eggs  do  you  want  .?" 

"I  think  mother  wants  the  best." 

"Very  well.     What  next .?  " 

"You  may  also  give  me  a  peck  of  potatoes,  a 
quart  of  onions  and  a  pound  of  beans.  That  will 
be  all  to-day,  Mr.  Black.  What  is  the  bill  .?  I 
want  to  pay  you  now." 


r^ 


^(^     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


*'Here  is  your  bill.     It  amounts  to  three  dollars 
and  ninety  cents/' 


William  Black, 

Boston,  Mass.                               July  31,  1913. 

Sold  to 

I  bag  of  flour 

I 

00 

I  cake  of  yeast 

02 

2  lbs.  lump  sugar 

16 

. 

4  lbs.  granulated  sugar 

22 

I  lb.  coffee 

35 

I  can  salmon 

23 

2  boxes  sardines 

20 

2  dozen  eggs 

70 

I  peck  of  potatoes 

35 

I  quart  of  onions 

10 

I  pound  of  butter 

45 

I  pound  of  beans 

!  05 

I  bag  of  salt 

07 

^3 

90 

Anna  looked  over  the  bill  and  said,  "Here  is  the 
money.     Be  sure  and  send  the  things  soon.'' 

"I  will  send  them  as  soon  as  the  boy  returns 
with  the  horse  and  wagon." 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     77 

LESSON.  44 

WEIGHTS   AND   MEASURES 

Weight 

16  ounces  (oz.)  =  i  pound 

100  pounds  (lbs.)  =  i  hundredweight 

20  hundredweights  (cwts.)  =  i  ton 

2000  pounds  =  I  ton 

Liquid  Measure 

4  gills  (gi.)  =  I  pint  (pt.) 

2*  pints  (pts.)  =  I  quart  (qt.) 

4  quarts  (qts.)  =  i  gallon  (gal.) 

31  gallons  (gals.)  =  i  barrel  (bbl.) 

Dry  Measure 

2  pints  (pts.)  =  I  quart  (qt.) 
8  quarts  (qts.)  =  i  peck  (pk.) 

4  pecks  (pks.)  =  I  bushel  (bu.) 

2f  bushels  (bu.)  =  i  barrel  (bbl.) 

Long  Measure 

12  inches  (in.)  =  i  foot  (ft.) 

3  feet  (ft.)  =  I  yard  (yd.) 
5280  feet                                     =  I  mile  (mi.) 

12  articles  make  a  dozen 
12  dozen  make  a  gross 
20  articles  make  a  score 


78     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON  45 
THE   DEPARTMENT   STORE 


elevator  basement 

department         floors 
dry  goods  furniture 


counters 
salesman 
upper 


Department  stores  are  large  stores  where  one 
may  buy  many  different  things.  Such  stores 
are  found  in  all  large  cities  and  towns. 

In  the  larger  cities  they  usually  take  up  many 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    79 

floors.     The  departments  are  generally  separated. 
The  dry-goods  department  may  be  on  the  first  floor. 
The  furniture  may  be  in  the  basement,   and  the^ 
groceries  on  an  upper  floor.  "^j 

Let  us  pay  a  visit  to  a  department  store  in  your 
city.  As  we  enter  we  see  all  about  us  goods  on 
counters,  and  salesmen  and  saleswomen  waiting 
on  customers. 

On  the  ground  floor  we  can  usually  find  dry- 
goods,  jewelry,  perfumes,  etc. 

Let  us  take  the  elevator  to  the  upper  floors. 
On  the  second  floor  one  can  buy  men's  and  ladies' 
shoes,  millinery,  etc. 

On  the  third  and  upper  floors  may  be  found 
glassware,  crockery,  pictures,  carpets,  rugs,  rubber 
goods  and  a  great  many  other  things. 

Do  you  not  think  that  a  department  store  is  a 
wonderful  place  ^ 

Make  a  list  of  the  things  you  would  be  likely  to 
find  in  the  dry-goods  department. 

Make  another  list  of  what  you  might  buy  in  the 
furniture  department. 

What  is  a  shopper  .?  What  is  meant  by  shop- 
ping .? 

Write  the  names  of  all  the  department  stores 
that  you  know. 

(Topics  :     Shopping ;  Free  Deliveries.) 


8o    PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW   AMERICANS 

LESSON   46 
THE   SAVINGS   BANK 


It  is  a  very  good  habit  to  be  frugal.  Do  you 
know  what  frugal  means  r  To  be  frugal  means 
to  be  careful  in  spending  money.  No  one  ought 
to  spend  every  cent  that  he  earns.  It  does  not 
matter  how  much  or  how  little  you  earn,  you  can 
always  put  aside  some  money  for  future  use. 

If  you  do  save  some  money,  it  is  not  always  safe 
to  keep  it  at  home.  It  is  much  better  to  put  it 
\nto  a  savings  bank. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    8 1 

Do  you  know  what  a  savings  bank  is  ?  It  is 
a  place  where  you  can  save  your  money.  Some 
people  think  that  a  person  needs  a  great  deal  of 
money  to  open  an  account  with  a  savings  bank. 
This  is  not  true.  A  person  may  start  an  ac- 
count with  one  dollar. 

When  you  open  an  account  with  a  bank,  the 
clerk  gives  you   a  bank  book.     In  this  book  he 


1257 
UNION  SAVINGS  BANK 

in  account  imit/i 


t 


X 


//^ 


7^^/^ 


/5 


5^ 


tZ.    /Ttl.yf^'-^-^- 


^^' 


/^ 


/^ 


i3 


33 


records  each  time  the  amount  of  money  you  de- 
posit. You  must  always  bring  your  book  with 
you  when  you  deposit  or  draw  out  any  money. 

(Topic  :     Postal  Savings  Banks.) 


MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. 6 


-I 


82  PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

NOTE 
$35%o         Boston  Mass,  Jan.,  5,  1912. 
Thirty  days  after  date,  I  promise  to 
■pay  to  the  order  of  John  Waters,  Thirty  Five 
Dollars,  for  value  received 

James  Murphy. 


CHECK 
Boston,  Mass.... 191....No.. 

State  Street  Trust  Company. 


Pay  to  the  ^     n             n          ■     n 
order  of ..i(:r^^  $_5.a.&03^ 

^ Ri.f.ly : .......%o- Collars 


William  Shaw. 

RECEIPT 
$18  %o         Boston,  Mass.  ,  Jan.  3,  1911 

Received  of  S.  Waters,  Eighteen  Dollars 
for  rent  of  tenement  on  Cedar  Street,  for  the 
month  of  January. 

J.B.Williams 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    83 

LESSON  47 
PLUMBERS  AT   WORK 


These  are  the  plumbers.  They  are  mending 
the  water  pipes  in  the  cellar. 

Plumbing  is  very  hard  work.  It  takes  a  long 
time  to  learn  the  trade  well. 

A  plumber  must  know  about  the  different  kinds 
of  pipes.  When  a  new  house  is  built  the  plumber 
is  the  man  who  puts  in  the  gas  pipes,  the  water 
pipes  and  the  steam  pipes. 

Plumbing  is  a  good  trade.  There  are  schools 
where  men  can  learn  to  be  plumbers.  A  plumber 
must  have  a  license.     What  is  a  license  .? 


-I 


84    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON 

48 

COMPARISON   OF 

ADJECTIVES 

big 

bigger 

biggest 

small 

smaller 

smallest 

high 

higher 

highest 

low 

lower 

lowest 

far 

farther 

farthest 

near 

nearer 

nearest 

cold 

colder 

coldest 

warm 

warmer 

warmest 

hard 

harder 

hardest 

easy 

easier 

easiest 

good 

better 

best 

bad 

worse 

worst 

much 

more 

most 

many 

more 

most 

little 

less 

least 

Here  are  three  boys.     Which  one  is  the  shortest  ? 

Which  one  is  the  tallest  ? 

James  is  taller  than  George. 

George  is  taller  than  Henry. 

Henry  is  the  shortest.     James  is  the  tallest. 

Here  are  two  pencils. 

The  longer  pencil  is  the  better  one. 

It  is  cold  to-day.     It  was  colder  yesterday. 

It  may  be  warmer  to-morrow. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     85 
LESSON   49 
CARPENTERS  AT   WORK 


hammer 

screwdriver 

awl 

square 

nails 

rule 

dividers 

chisel 

screw 

oil  can 

pliers 

gimlet 

In  the  picture  you  can  see  some  carpenters  at 
work.     They  are  building  a  barn. 

One  of  them  is  holding  a  hammer.  He  is 
driving  nails  through  a  board. 

The  other  man  is  sawing  a  board  with  a  saw. 

If  a  board  is  too  long,  he  saws  it  off. 

If  it  is  too  thick,  he  will  plane  it  off. 


86     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   50 

THE   MUSIC   OF   LABOR 

I 

The  banging  of  the  hammer, 

The  whirring  of  the  plane, 
The  crashing  of  the  busy  saw. 

The  creaking  of  the  crane, 
The  ringing  of  the  anvil, 

The  grating  of  the  drill, 
The  clattering  of  the  turning-lathe. 

The  whirling  of  the  mill. 
The  buzzing  of  the  spindle, 

The  rattling  of  the  loom. 
The  puffing  of  the  engine, 

The  fan's  continual  boom, 
The  clipping  of  the  tailor's  shears. 

The  driving  of  the  awl  — 
These  sounds  of  honest  industry 

I  love  —  I  love  them  all. 


The  clicking  of  the  magic  type. 
The  earnest  talk  of  man, 

The  toiling  of  the  giant  press. 
The  scratching  of  the  pen. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    87 

The  tapping  of  the  yardstick, 

The  tinkUng  of  the  scales, 
The  whisthng  of  the  needles 

(When  no  bright  cheek  pales), 
The  humming  of  the  cooking  stove, 

The  surging  of  the  broom, 
The  pattering  feet  of  childhood, 

The  housewife's  busy  hum. 
The  buzzing  of  the  scholars. 

The  teacher's  kindly  call  — 
These  sounds  of  active  industry 

I  love  —  I  love  them  all. 


THE   BLESSINGS   OF   LABOR 

Oh,  there's  a  good  in  labor, 

If  we  labor  but  aright, 
That  gives  vigor  to  the  daytime, 

A  sweeter  sleep  at  night ; 
A  good  that  brings  pleasure 

Even  to  the  toiling  hours, 
For  duty  cheers  the  spirit, 

As  dew  revives  the  flowers. 
Then  say  not  that  our  God 

Gave  labor  as  a  doom  — 
No  !  'tis  the  richest  mercy 

From  the  cradle  to  the  tomb. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

Then  let  us  still  be  doing 

Whate'er  we  find  to  do, 
With  cheerful,  hopeful  spirits, 

And  free  hand,  strong  and  true. 

—  Anonymous. 


who 


LESSON 

51 

PRONOUNS 

I 

me 

my 

mine 

you 

you 

your 

yours 

he 

him 

his 

his 

she 

her 

her 

hers 

it 

it 

its 

its 

we 

us 

our 

ours 

you 

you 

your 

yours 

they 

them 

their 

theirs 

myself 

yourself 

himself 

ourselves 

yoi 

Lirselves 

themselves 

itself 

herself 

whose 

whom 

whosoever 

whomsoever 

(Use  in  sentence-building.) 

Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself. 

I  am  my  own  master  and  you  are  yours. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    89 

LESSON   52 
APPLYING   FOR   A   POSITION 


WANTED.  A  young  man  to  work  in 
the  office  of  a  manufacturing  concern. 
Good  reference  required. 


advertisement 

properly 

manager 

newspapers 

before 

name 

old 

read 

shipping 

country 

position 

evening  school 

"  Is  this  the  manager  ^  " 

"  Yes,  young  man,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ^ " 

"  I  saw  your  advertisement  in  the  newspaper, 
and  came  to  ask  for  that  position.'' 

"  Very  well,  what  is  your  name  ? " 

"  Harold  Carter,  sir." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  " 

''  I  am  twenty  years  old.'' 

"  Where  have  you  worked  before  ^ " 

"  I  worked  at  the  American  Woolen  Company 
six  months." 

"  What  was  your  work  ?  " 

*' I  worked  in  the  shipping  room." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  this  country  ^ " 

"  I  have  been  here  three  years." 


90     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

"  Did  you  go  to  school." 

"I  went  to  an  evening  school  for  one  season.'* 

"  Can  you  read  and  write  EngHsh  well  .^ '' 

"  I  can  read  and  write  fairly  well." 

"  Well,  for  this  position  I  want  a  young  man 
who  can  read  and  write  ver}^  well.  I  need  one 
on  whom  I  can  depend  for  writing  my  letters  and 
keeping  the  accounts  in  my  books  properly." 


"If  at  first 

you 

don't  succeed, 

try. 

try  again." 

LESSON   53 

THE 

PUBLIC   LIBRARY 

library 

borrow 

home 

public 

card 

librarian 

address 

reference 

privilege 

returned 

same 

person 

A  public  library  is  a  place  where  one  can  read, 
or  borrow  books  to  take  home.  How  many 
know  where  the  public  library  in  this  city  is  .^ 

To  take  books  from  the  public  library  one  must 
have  a  library  card.  Any  respectable  person  can 
get  a  library  card.  All  a  person  has  to  do  is  to  go 
to  the   librarian   and   fill  out  a  paper.     On  that 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    91 


paper  the  person  gives  his  name  and  address,  and 
the  names  of  two  persons  for  reference. 

With   this   card   a   person   has   the   privilege  of 
taking   books   home.     These   books   can   be   kept 


only  two  weeks,  and  then  must  be  returned. 
This  is  because  others  may  want  the  same  books. 

In  the  library  reading  room  one  can  get  all  kinds 
of  books,  magazines  and  daily  newspapers.  These 
must  be  read  in  the  reading  room.  They  must  not 
be  taken  out  of  the  room. 

What  kind  of  books  do  you  read  ^  Do  you  read 
books  that  will  help  you  in  your  work  and  your 
life,  or  do  you  waste  your  time  with  stories  that 
only  amuse  ? 


'*It  is  never  too  late  to  learn." 


92     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   54 

EDUCATION 

lesson 

education 

last 

enough 

hard 

people 

office 

better 

gain 

interested 

library 

spare 

time 

r                                     1 

know 

1    •              r                               •  .  • 

very 

If  you  are  looking  for  a  position  it  is  important 
to  have  an  education.  If  a  young  man  does  not 
know  English  well  enough  it  is  hard  for  him  to  get 
a  good  position.  Many  people  can  find  work  only 
in  shops,  while  other  people  have  better  work  in 
offices  and  stores.  Why  is  this  .?  It  is  because 
the  best  educated  are  best  fitted  for  good  positions. 

There  are  many  ways  to  gain  an  education. 
One  way  is  to  go  to  school  every  night,  and  be 
interested  in  the  school  work.  Another  way  is  to 
read  helpful  books  at  the  public  library  during 
spare  time.  Still  another  way  is  to  read  good 
newspapers.     I  mean  English  newspapers. 


"Industry  is  fortune's  right  hand, 
and  frugality  her  left.'' 


(Impress   pupils   with   the   helpfulness   of  observing  signs   and 
advertisements  in  street  cars,  on  windows,  etc.) 


PRACTICAL    ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    93 


LESSON   55 

NEWSPAPERS 

(Show  the  class  a  local  newspaper  and  discuss  how  and  what  to 
read.) 


newspaper 

dictionary 

important 

editorials 

cheaply 


read 

state 

happen 

politics 

help 


ought 

useful 

city 

welfare 

situations 


improve 

interesting 

meaning 

government 

advertisement 


How  many  of  you  read  the  newspapers  ?  All 
of  you  ought  to  read  them.  They  will  improve 
your  English  very  much.  They  may  be  a  little 
hard  at  first,  but  the  more  you  read  them  the 
easier  they  become.  When  you  read  a  newspaper 
have  a  dictionary  near  you.  Then  you  can  find 
the  meaning  of  the  words  you  do  not  know. 

Newspapers  are  interesting  to  read,  and  are 
useful  for  many  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  you 
may  learn  there  about  the  important  things  that 
happen  in  your  city,  in  your  state,  in  the  whole 
country  and  in  other  countries. 

Then  you  may  also  read  the  advertisements. 
When  you  want  to  buy  anything  cheap  you  may 
read  in  the  papers  about  the  sales  which  the 
department  stores  advertise. 

If  you  are  looking  for  a  position,  you  may  look 


94    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

for  it  in  the  ''Help  Wanted"  page,  or  you  may 
advertise  in  the  ''Situations  Wanted"  for  the  kind 
of  work  you  want. 

There  are  many  other  parts  of  a  newspaper 
which  are  interesting  and  useful.  You  will  soon 
learn  what  these  parts  are  when  you  can  read 
English  well. 

Study  the  advertisements  below,  so  that  you 
may  be  able  to  write  one  for  yourself  if  you  should 
ever  find  it  necessary. 


Situations    Wanted 

Male.   . 

CHAUFFEUR.— Young;    experienced;    private 

family;  references;  willing  to  go  anywhere. 

S   17   Times. _ 

CORRESPONDENT,  &c.,  where  executive 
training,  export,  general  traffic  work,  with 
exceptional  ability  as  stenographer.,  Corre- 
spondent, is  recognized;  ambitious;  efficient: 
highest  credentials;  age  24.  Address  L.  G., 
2,819   Newklrlc    Av.,   Brooklyn. 

CORRESPONDENT.  &c.-Youn«  German  de- 
sires  position  with  commission  house  aa 
correspondent  or  for  general  office  work ; 
speaks  English  fluently;  has  foreign  experi- 
ence ;    references.     B  134   Times   Downtown. 


ESTIMATER    and    detailer;    structural    steel 
and  ornamental  iron  work ;  ten  years'  expe- 
rience;  wide  acquaintance  among  architects. 
B  143  Times  Downtown. 


MECHANICAL  ENGINEER.— Several  years' 
experience  in  commercial  testing  of  gas 
engines,  carburetors,  mufflers,  &c.;  also  has 
knowledgo  of  electric  starting  and  lighting 
systems  and  ignition  work.  B  142  Times 
Downtown 

NURSE    (mala)— Care  for   invalid;   any  ca- 
pacity;  best  references.     Slills,   63  Quincy 
8t..  Brooklyn. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    95 

LESSON   56 
NOBODY'S   CHILD 

Only  a  newsboy,  under  the  light 

Of  the  lamp  post  plying  his  trade  in  vain  ; 

Men  are  too  busy  to  stop  to-night, 

Hurrying  home  through  the  sleet  and  rain. 

Never  since  dark  a  paper  sold  ; 

Where  shall  he  sleep,  or  how  be  fed  ? 
He  thinks  as  he  shivers  there  in  the  cold, 

While  happy  children  are  safe  abed. 

Is  it  strange  if  he  turns  about 

With  angry  words,  then  comes  to  blows, 
When  his  little  neighbor,  just  sold  out, 

Tossing  his  pennies,  past  him  goes  .? 

*'Stop  !"  —  some  one  looks  at  him,  sweet  and  mild. 
And  the  voice  that  speaks  is  a  tender  one. 

**You  should  not  strike  such  a  little  child. 

And  you  should  not  use  such  words,  my  son  !" 

Is  it  his  anger  or  his  fears 

That   have   hushed   his   voice   and   stopped   his 
arm  ? 
** Don't  tremble,"  these  are  the  words  he  hears; 

"Do  you  think  that  I  would  do  you  harm  .?" 

"It  isn't  that,"  and  the  hand  drops  down; 
"I  wouldn't  care  for  kicks  and  blows  ; 


96    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

But  nobody  ever  called  me  son, 

Because  I'm  nobody's  child,  I  s'pose." 

O  men  !  as  ye  careless  pass  along, 

Remember  the  love  that  cared  for  you  ; 

And  blush  for  the  awful  shame  and  wrong 

Of  a  world  where  such  a  thing  could  be  true  ! 

—  PnoeBE  Gary. 

LESSON   57 
THE   ORDER   OF   WORDS   IN   SENTENCES 

I.   What  (or  Who)     2.   Where     3.   When 

In  general,  what  (or  who),  that  is,  the  person 
or  thing  about  which  we  are  talking,  should  come 
first  in  the  sentence. 

Where,  that  is,  the  part  that  has  to  do  with 
place,  should  come  after  the  what  in  the  sentence. 

When,  or  the  part  that  relates  to  the  time 
of  the  action,  should  come  at  the  end  of  the 
sentence. 

The  verb  follows  what  or  who  in  the  sentence. 

Examples 

Who  Where       When 

1.  The    boy   went    home    yesterday. 

What  Where         When 

2.  The  book  was  on  the  desk  last  night. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AiMERICANS    97 

Who  Where  When 

3.  I  went  to  the  theater  last  week. 

Who  Where       When 

4.  My  brother  will  go  to  school  to-morrow. 

Who  Where  When 

5.  Albert  was  sick  in  the  hospital  last  summer. 

What  Where  When 

6.  The  horse  was  in  the  stable  this  morning. 

Exercise 
Correct  the  following  sentences  : 

1.  I  was  yesterday  in  the  shop. 

2.  My  brother  last  year  came  from  Europe. 

3.  My  brother  was  last  night  at  home. 

4.  It  rained  yesterday  here. 

Write  sentences  using  the  following  words  with 
time  and  place  : 

book  school  work  weather 

home  letter  dinner  clothes 

Write  the  names  of  five  persons.     {Who.) 
Write  the  names  of  five  things.     {What.) 
Write  the  names  of  five  places.     {Where.) 
Write  the  names  of  the  four  seasons.     {When.) 
Combine  five  of  these  words  in  sentences  similar 
to  the  examples  given  above. 

MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. ^ 


98     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR   NEW   AMERICANS 


LESSON   58 

DESCRIPTION   OF   A   PICTURE 

Ask  simple  questions  tending  to  make  pupils  put  in  their  own 
words  what  they  see  in  the  picture. 


t^^'^^Ji'-^^^.i^^^J^ 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS    99 

LESSON   59 

THE  PERFECT   TENSE 

I  have  seen  I  have  spoken 

you  have  seen  you  have  spoken 

he  has  seen  he  has  spoken 

we  have  seen  we  have  spoken 

you  have  seen  you  have  spoken 

they  have  seen  they  have  spoken 

How  have  you  been  getting  along  ? 

I  have  been  getting  along  very  nicely. 

Have  you  had  a  busy  season  ? 

Yes,  we  have  been  quite  busy. 

Have  you  seen  Albert  ? 

He  has  just  spoken  to  me. 

He  has  been  in  town  all  the  week. 

His  sister  is  also  in  town. 

She  has  been  here  two  days. 

Where  have  the  boys  gone? 

They  have  gone  home  for  supper. 

Use    the    following   verbs    in    sentences    in    the 
perfect  tense  : 

gone  begun         lost  taken  worked 

walked        found  given  looked        washed 

(Show  significance  of  tense;  compare  with  past  tense.     Touch 
lightly  on  pluperfect  with  "had.") 


V 


100    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   60 

LIST   OF   IRREGULAR  VERBS 

(For  use  in  making  up  verb-forms  to  be  copied  in  blank  books 
and  for  use  in  the  study  of  the  perfect  tense.) 


Present 

Past 

Part. 

be 

was 

been 

begin 

began 

begun 

bend 

bent 

bent 

bite 

bit 

bitten 

blow 

blew 

blown 

break 

broke 

broken 

bring 

brought 

brought 

buy 

bought 

bought 

come 

came 

come 

cost 

cost 

cost 

cut 

cut 

cut 

do 

did 

done 

drink 

drank 

drunk  . 

eat 

ate 

eaten 

fall 

fell 

fallen 

find 

found 

found 

fly 

flew 

flown 

get 

got 

gotten 

give 

gave 

given 

go 

went 

gone 

grow 

grew 

grown 

hang 

hung 

hung 

PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMEj^fCANS  >lp% 


have 

had 

had 

hold     . 

held 

.   held 

keep 

kept 

kept 

know 

knew 

known 

lend 

lent 

lent 

lose 

lost 

lost 

make 

made 

made 

meet 

met 

met 

put 

put 

put 

read     • 

read 

read 

run 

ran 

run 

say 

said 

said 

see 

saw 

seen 

sell 

sold 

sold 

send 

sent 

sent 

shine 

shone 

shone 

sit 

sat 

sat 

sleep 

slept 

slept 

speak 

spoke 

spoken 

stand 

stood 

stood 

steal 

stole 

stolen 

strike 

struck 

struck 

swim 

swam 

swum 

take 

took 

taken 

tell 

told 

told 

wear 

wore 

worn 

win 

won 

won 

write 

wrote 

written 

.02    IFR'ACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   6i 
WORDS   OF   OPPOSITE   MEANING 


tall 
short 

begin 
end 

new 
old 

big 
small 

high 
low 

over 
under 

in 
out 

long 
short 

sleep 
wake 

up 
down 

save 
spend 

.many 
few 

rise 
fall 

thin 
thick 

best 
worst 

buy 
sell 

right 
wrong 

fast 
slow 

idle 
busy 

glad 
sorry 

more 
less 

find 
lose 

rich 
poor 

send 
receive 

laugh 
weep 

soft 
hard 

good 
bad 

give 
take 

heavy 
light 

easy 
hard 

with 
without 

remember 
forget 

dark 
light 

late 
early 

sick 
well 

inside 
outside 

(Use  the  above  in  dictation  and  sentence-building.) 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     103 


LESSON    62 


POSSESSIVE    NOUNS 


boy 
boy's 


boys 
boys' 


man 
man's 


men 
men's 


This  hat  belongs  to  the  boy. 

This  is  the  boy's  hat. 

Whose  umbrella  have  you  ? 

I  have  my  brother's  umbrella. 

It  is  a  pretty  one.     How  much  did  it  cost  ? 

It  cost  him  two  dollars. 

These  books  belong  to  the  -girls. 

These  are  the  girls'  books. 

Where  did  they  get  them  .? 

They  bought  them  at  the  bookstore. 


Use  the  following 

in  sentences : 

Singular 

Plural 

boy's 

boys' 

man's 

men's 

gentleman's 

gentlemen's 

girl's 

girls' 

lady's 

ladies' 

woman's 

women's 

friend's 

friends' 

brother's 

brothers' 

child's 

children's 

I04    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON  63 
PICTURE   TO   BE   DESCRIBED 


Of  what  is  this  a  picture  ? 

Name  the  objects  that  you  see. 

What  articles  of  food  do  you  see  ? 

What  is  the  young  woman  doing  ? 

Make  a  Hst  of  things  necessary  in  a  kitchen. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     105 


LESSON  64 

TELLING   TIME 

time 

clock              count 

seconds 

minute 

hour               face 

space 

long 

hand              numbers 

marks 

move 

faster             open 

to-night 

close 

half                noon 

midnight 

watches 

pocket           shelves 

tide 

Hush,  hear  the  clock  tick.     Tick,  tick,  tick  ! 

Count  sixty  seconds.  You  have  counted  a 
minute. 

How  many  minutes  make  an  hour  ^ 

Look  at  the  face  of  the  clock.  What  do  you 
see  there  ? 

The  long  hand  is  the  minute  hand.  The  shorter 
hand  is  the  hour  hand. 

The  minute  hand  points  to  the  minutes,  the 
hour  hand  to  the  hours. 

Can  you  see  the  numbers  on  the  face  of  the 
clock  .?     Count  them.     How  many  are  there  ? 

Each  space  between  the  numbers  marks  off  five 
minutes.     There  are  twelve  spaces. 

This  means  that  it  takes  60  minutes  or  one  hour 
for  the  minute  hand  to  move  once  around  the  face 
of  the  clock.  While  the  minute  hand  moves  once 
around,  the  hour  hand  moves  only  one  space. 


io6    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

Which  hand  moves  faster  ? 

What  time  is  it  now  ? 

What  time  did  school  open  to-night  ? 

What  time  will  it  close  ? 

Where  will  the  two  hands  be  at  three  o'clock, 
at  half  past  three  ?  at  a  quarter  of  three  ?  Where 
will  the  hands  be  at  noon  ?  at  midnight  ? 

Clocks  and  watches  tell  time.  Watches  are 
kept  in  pockets,  while  clocks  are  put  on  shelves, 
or  hung  on  the  walls  in  houses. 

Where  is  the  clock  in  this  room  I  Where  is 
the  clock  in  your  house  ^     Where  is  your  watch  ? 

60  seconds  make  one  minute 
60  minutes  make  an  hour 
24  hours  make  a  day 
7  days  make  a  week 
2  weeks  make  a  fortnight 
4  weeks  make  a  month 
12  months  make  a  year 
365  days  make  a  year 
TOO  years  make  a  c-entury 

"  How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 
Improve  each  shining  hour, 
And  gather  honey  all  the  day 
From  every  opening  flower." 

—  Isaac  Watts. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     107 

LESSON  65 

THE   MONTHS   OF   THE   YEAR 

January  (Jan.)  July 

February  (Feb.)  August  (Aug.) 

March  (Mar.)  September  (Sept.) 

April  (Apr.)  October  (Oct.) 

May  November  (Nov.) 

June  December  (Dec.) 

Which  are  the  winter  months  ^ 

Which  are  the  spring  months  ^ 

Name  the  summer  months. 

During  which  months  do  we  have  autumn  ^ 

The  Days  of  the  Week 

Sunday  (Sun.)  Wednesday  (Wed.) 

Monday  (Mon.)  Thursday  (Thurs.) 

Tuesday  (Tues.)  •      Friday  (Fri.) 

Saturday  (Sat.) 

On  which  days  do  you  work  .? 
On  which  days  do  you  rest  ^ 

^'Thirty  days  have  September, 
April,  June,  and  November ; 
All  the  rest  have  thirty-one 
Save  February  alone. 
Twenty-eight  is  all  her  store, 
Which  in  leap  year  adds  one  more." 


io8     PRACTICAL  .  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   66 
SPRING 

Spring  is  here.  The  ice  has  melted  ;  the  snow 
is  gone.  The  earth  is  waking  from  its  long  winter 
slumber.  The  birds  are  beginning  to  return  from 
the  South  to  cheer  us  once  more  with  their  happy 
songs.  The  grass  in  the  fields  and  gardens  is 
growing  green.  The  trees  and  the  flowers  are 
beginning  to  blossom.     How  happy  nature  seems  ! 

Spring  begins  on  March  21st.  At  that  time 
the  weather  is  still  cool  and  windy.  During  the 
month  of  April  the  air  is  warmer  and  the  days  are 
getting  longer.  This  month  also  brings  showers 
to  make  the  grass  and  flowers  grow. 

By  the  month  of  May  everything  is  in  bloom, 
for  as  the  poet  says, 

"April  showers 
Bring  May  flowers." 

LESSON  67 
SUMMER 

"Is  it  not  a  fine  day,  George  .?  Let  us  take  a 
walk  to  the  park." 

"No,  Frank,  it  is  too  warm.  I  should  like  to 
take  a  car  ride  to  the  beach." 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     109 

"Very  well,  then,  let  us  take  the  car  here. 
See  how  clear  and  blue  the  sky  is  !  The  sun  is 
shining  so  brightly  !'' 

''We  have  been  riding  already  for  an  hour.  We 
shall  soon  be  at  the  beach." 

''Here  we  are  now  at  the  beach.  Can  you 
swim,  Frank  .?" 

"Yes,  George,  I  learned  to  swim  last  summer." 

"Do  you  wish  to  go  bathing  .^" 

"Yes,  I  think  it  is  the  best  way  to  cool  off." 

"Oh,  look  !  The  sky  is  beginning  to  get  cloudy. 
I  am  afraid  it  will  rain." 

"I  did  not  expect  that  it  would  rain  to-day. 
It  looked  so  pleasant." 

"You  can  never  tell  in  summer  when  it  will 
rain.     I  hope  it  will  be  only  a  shower." 

"I  hope  so  too,  Frank." 

"Listen!  Hear  it  thunder!  Let  us  go  back 
to  the  bath  house." 

"Oh,  see  the  lightning  !" 

"  How  it  is  pouring  !  It  cannot  last  long  for 
the  clouds  are  beginning  to  roll  away." 

"Here  is  the  sun  again,  shining  as  brightly  as 
ever." 

"Now  we  can  go  out  and  walk  about  the  beach." 

"All  right,  but  do  not  forget  that  I  must  be 
home  in  time  for  supper." 

(Conversation  :     Beach  and  park  attractions.) 


no    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   68 
AUTUMN 

The  leaves  are  falling,  for  it  is  autumn,  the  fall 
of  the  year.  Everywhere  on  the  ground  you  may 
see  the  beautiful  colored  leaves. 

The  days  are  growing  shorter  and  the  weather 
is  getting  cooler.  We  are  gradually  leaving  be- 
hind the  hot  summer  and  are  getting  nearer  to 
winter. 

The  harvesting  season  is  here  in  all  its  glory. 
The  farmer  rejoices  in  his  rich  harvest.  He  is 
gathering  the  corn,  and  picking  the  fruit  and 
vegetables.  These  he  will  soon  store  away  or 
sell  at  the  market. 

What  the  twilight  is  to  the  day,  autumn  is  to 
the  year.  The  earth  is  preparing  for  its  coming 
rest  during  the  winter  months. 

The  people  who  have  been  in  the  country  or 
at  the  seashore  for  their  vacations  are  now  return- 
ing home.  The  city  is  once  more  alive  with  busy 
people. 

When  does  autumn  begin  .?     When  does  it  end  .? 

*'The  melancholy  days  are  come, 
The  saddest  of  the  year, 
Of  wailing  winds  and  naked  woods, 
And  meadows  brown  and  sere.'' 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     in 

LESSON    69 
WINTER 

It  is  snowing.  The  ground,  the  trees  and  the 
houses  are  being  covered  with  the  clear  white 
snow. 

The  air  is  sharp  and  cold,  while  the  biting  wind 
makes  one  hurry  to  get  indoors. 

The  children  are  joyful,  for  it  is  the  season  of 
snowballs,  coasting  and  skating.  Wherever  you 
look  you  see  boys  and  girls  playing  mimic  war 
with  snowballs,  or  building  snow  forts,  or  a  snow 
man. 

They  do  not  mind  the  cold.  They  are  dressed 
warm,  and  the  exercise  also  helps  to  keep  them 
warm. 

Winter  is  also  the  merry  season  for  grown-up 
people.  On  ponds,  or  in  parks,  you  may  see 
crowds  of  people  skating  and  coasting. 

How  happy  everybody  seems  in  the  clear  crisp 
air  !  Hear  their  laughter  and  their  shouting. 
Listen  to  the  tinkling  of  the  sleigh  bells.  Oh  ! 
the  glorious  winter  ! 

Which  of  the  seasons  do  you  like  best  ? 
Write  one  reason  for  liking  spring. 
What  pleasures  does  summer  bring  ^ 
Name  some  of  the  joys  of  winter. 


112     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON  70 
PICTURE   TO   BE   DESCRIBED 


^"  :.^*^^   _  ^- 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     113 


LESSON  71 

WEATHER  TERMS 

sun 

storm 

chill 

sunny 

stormy 

chilly 

cloud 

thunder 

frost 

cloudy 

lightning 

frosty 

rain 

slush 

snow 

rainy 

slushy 

snowy 

fog 

mist 

ice 

foggy 

misty 

icy 

breeze 

mud 

wind 

breezy 

muddy 

windy 

fair 

freezing 

cold 

warm 

sleet 

dry 

sunlight 

moonlight 

wet 

sunshine 

blizzard 

dew 

frozen 

hail 

pleasant 

(Use  the  more  common  terms  for  building  sentences.) 

Read  the  weather  predictions  in  this  morning's 
paper. 

By  whom  and  where  are  these  predictions  made  ? 

What  is  the  Weather  Bureau  ? 

How  is  it  aided  in  predicting  the  weather  for 
any  particular  locality  ? 

Are  its  predictions  always  true  ?    • 

MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. 8 


114    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   72 
PUBLIC   SIGNS 

Public  Signs  seen  at  the  Theater 

I  went  to  the  theater  yesterday.  When  I 
arrived  there,  I  went  to  the  TICKET  OFFICE 
(Box  Office)  and  bought  a  ticket.  I  saw  the 
sign  ADMISSION  25^  on  the  window.  The 
word  admission  means  the  price  we  must  pay  to 
enter. 

After  buying  the  ticket  I  passed  through  a  door 
over  which  was  the  sign  ENTRANCE.  This 
means  the  way  in.  On  leaving,  I  walked  through 
a  door  over  which  was  the  word  EXIT.  This 
means  the  way  out. 

Public  Signs  at  the  Railroad  Station 

Last  week  I  went  to  Boston  to  see  my  cousin. 
I  had  to  take  a  train  at  the  Union  Station.  I 
did  not  know  when  my  train  was  to  leave.  So 
I  walked  over  to  a  window  on  which  I  saw  the 
word  INFORMATION.  This  is  the  place  to 
find  out  when  the  trains  leave.  The  CLERK 
told  me  that  my  train  would  not  leave  until  four 
o'clock. 

It  was  then  three  o'clock.  So  I  went  to  the 
WAITING  ROOM.     This  is  the  room  in  which 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     115 

people  wait  for  their  trains,  or  for  friends  arriving 
on  trains.  I  wanted  to  smoke,  but  I  saw  the  sign 
NO  SMOKING  on  the  wall.  This  meant  that 
smoking  was  not  allowed  in  that  room.  I  then 
asked  a  man  where  the  SMOKING  ROOM  was 
and  he  told  me.  At  a  quarter  to  four  I  went  to 
the  ticket  office  and  bought  a  ticket. 

Public  Signs  on  Doors,  Walls,  etc. 

You  will  often  see  the  word  PULL  on  the  out- 
side of  a  door.  This  means  that  you  must  pull 
the  door  towards  you  to  enter.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  same  door  you  may  read  the  word  PUSH. 
This  means  that  you  must  push  the  door  away  from 
you  to  get  out. 

On  the  walls  of  houses  and  on  fences  you  may 
often  see  the  sign  POST  NO  BILLS.  This  means 
that  no  one  is  allowed  to  put  any  advertisements 
or  circulars  on  the  wall  or  fence. 

You  may  see  on  the  lamp  posts  of  some  street 
corners  a  red  iron  box,  marked  FIRE  ALARM 
BOX.  This  is  used  to  notify  the  firemen  when 
there  is  a  fire. 

You  may  also  see  on  the  lamp  posts  of  some 
street  corners  another  colored  iron  box  different 
in  shape  from  the  fire  alarm  box.  This  is  the 
U.  S.  MAIL  BOX.  This  is  used  for  the  collection 
of  letters. 


Il6     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   73 
PUBLIC   SIGNS   TO   BE   LEARNED 


Elevated 

Subway 

Look  out  for  the  engine 

Waiting  room 

Information 

Ticket  office 

Smoking  room 

No  smoking 

No  spitting 

No  admittance 

No  trespassing 

No  passing  through 

Private 

This  way  in 

This  way  out 

Entrance 

Exit 

Elevator 

Fire  escape 

Toilet 

Lavatory 

Keep  to  the  right 

Keep  off  the  grass 

Wait  until  the  car  stops 

Do  not  talk  to  the  motorman 


Doctor 

Apothecary 

Druggist 

Physician  &  Surgeon 

Telephone  Pay  Station 

Telegraph  Office 

Fire  Alarm 

U.  S.  Mail 

Police  Station 

Admission  50^ 

To  Let 

For  Sale 

Hands  off 

Push 

Pull 

Paint 

Danger 

Please  do  not  handle 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     117 

LESSON  74 

LETTER   WRITING 

(Put  simple  letters  on  blackboard  and  have  pupils  write  replies. 
Then  have  them  write  letters  on  prescribed  subjects.) 

Letter  Form 

^o^taru,  iTlcim.,  CipUl  26,  fcj/O. 
ISaLtimuyib,  THcL. 


^vcin£  Tflcyuvmaru. 

The  heading  of  a  letter  should  show  the  place 
where,  and  the  time  when,  the  letter  was  written. 


Ii8     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

The  form  of  greeting  is  the  term  of  poHteness, 
respect  or  affection  with  which  the  letter  is  intro- 
duced. 

Forms  of  Greetings 

Sir  Madam 

Dear  Sir  Dear  Madam 

My  dear  Sir  My  dear  Madam 

Dear  Mr.  Jones  Dear  Mrs.  Jones 

My  dear  Mr.  Bell  My  dear  Mrs.  Bell 

My  dear  Harry 
My  dear  Rose 
My  dear  Cousin 
My  dear  Friend 
Gentlemen 
Dear  Sirs 

Forms  of  Endings 

Yours  truly 
Yours  respectfully 
Yours  very  truly 
Yours  sincerely 
Yours  affectionately 
Your  friend 
Your  sincere  friend 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     119 

LESSON   75 

SAMPLE   SHORT   LETTERS 

An  Order  for  Goods 

Dear  Sirs,  — 

Please  send   me   at  once,   by  fast   freight,   one 

case  of  your lawn,  and  oblige, 

Yours  very  truly, 

James  Broad. 

Letter  to  a  Sick  Friend 

My  dear  Mabel,  — 

I  met  your  friend  Rose  to-day,  and  she  told  me 
that  you  were  sick.  I  can  assure  you  that  I  was 
very  sorry  to  hear  it. 

I  expect  to  visit  you  next  Sunday  afternoon. 
Hoping  that  I  shall  find  you  well  again,  I  am^ 

Your  sincere  friend, 

Pauline. 

Letter  applying  for  a  Position 

114  Delaware  Ave.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 

March  22,  1911. 
F.  P.  Speedwell  Co., 

City. 
Gentlemen,  — 

I  saw  in  to-day's  Herald  that  you  are  looking  for 
an  experienced  laster.     I  have  had  three  years'  ex- 


V 


I20    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

perience  in  that  line  of  work.     I  worked  two  years 

for ,  and  one  year  for , 

to  which  concerns  I  would  respectfully  refer  you 
as  to  my  character  and  ability. 

Hoping  that  you  will  be  interested  and  grant 
me   a   personal   interview,    I    remain, 

Respectfully  yours, 

A.  Kanter. 

Reply  to  Foregoing 

Mr.  A.  Kanter, 

114  Delaware  Ave.,  City. 
Dear  Sir,  — 

Will  you  please  call  at  our  office  on  Monday 
between  9  and  10  a.m.  ?  Please  bring  this  with 
you,  and  also  bring  any  recommendations  you 
may  have  from  your  former  employers. 

Yours  truly, 

F.  P.  Speedwell  Co. 

Exercises 

Copy  each  of  the  foregoing  letters  and  supply 
whatever  parts  are  missing,  as  dates,  address,  etc. 

Write  a  letter  to  a  dealer  in  dry  goods,  ordering 
something  of  which  you  are  in  need. 

Suppose  that  you  are  seeking  a  position  as  night 
watchman  in  a  factory.  Write  a  letter  to  the 
superintendent  applying  for  the  place. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     121 

LESSON   ^6 
COMMON   ABBREVIATIONS 


A.M. 

before  noon. 

Ave. 

avenue. 

Co. 

company. 

C.  0.  D. 

cash  on  delivery. 

Cr. 

creditor. 

cts. 

cents. 

D.  C. 

District  of  Columbia 

doz. 

dozen. 

Dr. 

debtor,  doctor. 

E. 

east. 

etc. 

and  so  forth. 

ft. 

foot,  feet. 

Gov. 

governor. 

111. 

Illinois. 

lbs. 

pounds. 

Mass. 

Massachusetts. 

Md. 

Maryland. 

M.  D. 

doctor  of  medicine. 

mdse. 

merchandise. 

Messrs. 

misters  (gentlemen)  = 

Mich. 

Michigan. 

Mo. 

Missouri. 

Mr. 

mister. 

Mrs. 

mistress. 

Mt. 

mountain. 

22     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


N.,  No. 

north. 

No. 

number. 

N.J. 

New  Jersey. 

N.  Y. 

New  York. 

0. 

Ohio. 

oz. 

ounces. 

Pa.,  Penn. 

Pennsylvania. 

PI. 

place. 

P.M. 

afternoon,  postmaster. 

P.O. 

post  office. 

p.  s. 

postscript. 

pt. 

pint. 

qt. 

quart. 

rec'd 

received. 

R.  R. 

railroad. 

S.,  So. 

south. 

St. 

street,  saint. 

Supt. 

superintendent. 

u.  s. 

United  States. 

U.  S.  A. 

United    States    Army ; 

States  of  America. 

U.  S.  M. 

'    United  States  Mail. 

U.  S.  N. 

United  States  Navy. 

w. 

west. 

yd. 

yard. 

Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Young    Men's    Christian 

ciation. 

United 


Asso- 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     123 

LESSON  ^^ 
PICTURE   TO  BE    DESCRIBED 


What  do  you  see  in  this  picture  ? 

Name  the  objects  in  the  house. 

Name  the  objects  outside  of  the  house. 

Is  it  in  the  city  or  in  the  country  ? 

What  kind  of  a  day  is  it  ? 

Is  the  weather  warm  or  cold  ? 

How  do  you  know  this  ? 

Write  a  full  description  of  all  that  you  see. 


124    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   78 
THE  OLD   MAN   AND   HIS  SONS 

An  old  man  had  many  sons  who  were  often 
quarrehng  with  one  another. 

He  tried  in  many  ways  to  make  them  Hve  to- 
gether better,  but  all  in  vain. 

At  last  he  tried  the  following  plan  :  He  tied 
together  a  bundle  of  sticks,  and  called  his  sons  to 
him.  He  then  asked  each  one  separately  to  break 
the  bundle  of  sticks. 

Each  one  tried  to  do  so  with  all  his  might,  but 
without  success.  Then  the  father  untied  the 
bundle  and  gave  a  single  stick  to  each  one,  bid- 
ding them  try  again.  This  time  they  broke  the 
sticks  very  easily. 

He  then  said  to  them:  **You  see,  my  sons, 
the  power  of  unity.  Now,  if  you  keep  together 
in  the  same  way  as  the  tied  sticks,  no  one  will  be 
able  to  hurt  you.  But  when  you  become  separated 
and  the  ties  of  brotherly  love  are  dissolved,  you 
will  fall  to  pieces  and  be  easy  prey  for  your  en- 
emies." 


** United  we  stand  ;  divided  we  fall.'' 


(Discuss  the  morals  of  this  fable  and  of  those  that  follow.) 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     125 


LESSON  79 

THE   DOG   AND   THE   SHADOW 

A  dog  was  one  day  crossing  a  brook.  He  had 
a  piece  of  meat  in  his  mouth,  and  saw  his  shadow 
reflected  in  the  stream.  The  dog  fancied  it  was 
another  dog  looking  up  at  him  with  a  larger  piece 
of  meat  than  he  had.  So  he  greedily  snapped  at 
the  supposed  stranger.  But  in  doing  this  he  let 
go  his  own  piece  of  meat,  and  got  nothing  instead 
but  ■  a    mouth   full   of  water.     As   he   ran   home 


126    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

growling  with  anger  at  the  loss  of  his  dinner,  he 
could  not  help  thinking,  ''It  is  better  to  be  content 
with  a  little  than  grasp  at  a  shadow." 

LESSON  80 
THE   TRAVELERS 

Two  men  were  traveling  upon  a  road.  One 
of  them  saw  an  ax  lying  on  the  ground.  Taking 
the  ax  up,  he  said  to  the  other  man,  ''I  have 
found  an  ax/' 

''Do  not  say,  /  have  found,  an  ax,  but  we  have 
found  an  ax,"  said  the  other  man  ;  "for  as  we  are 
companions,  we  ought  to  share  it  betwixt  us." 

But  the  first  man  would  not  listen  to  such  a 
thing. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  the  owner  of  the 
ax  pursued  and  overtook  them  with  a  warrant. 
The  finder  of  the  ax,  seeing  the  warrant,  said 
to  the  other  man,  "Alas  !  we  are  undone." 

"No,"  replied  the  other.  "Do  not  say,  we  are 
undone,  but  /  am  undone  ;  for,  as  you  would  not 
let  me  share  the  prize,  neither  will  I  share  the  dan- 
ger with  you." 


"Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
others  do  unto  you." 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     127 

LESSON  81 

THE  GOOSE  AND  THE  GOLDEN  EGGS 

A  certain  man  had  a  goose  which  laid  him  a 
golden  tgg  every  day.  All  went  well  for  a  time, 
and  then  the  man  became  dissatisfied.  He  wanted 
more  than  one  golden  egg  a  day.  He  wanted  them 
all  at  one  time.  He  was  in  a  hurry  to  become 
rich.  So  he  made  up  his  mind  to  kill  the  goose. 
He  thought  he  would  find  a  great  treasure  inside 
of  her.  But  when  he  opened  the  poor  goose,  he, 
to  his  sorrow,  found  no  gold  at  all. 


Everything  is  not  gold  that  glitters." 


LESSON   82 
THE   LION   AND   THE   MOUSE 

A  lion,  faint  with  the  heat  and  tired,  lay  down 
to  rest.  It  happened  that  while  he  slept  a  company 
of  mice  ran  over  his  back  and  waked  him.  Start- 
ing up,  he  clapped  his  paw  upon  one  of  them. 
He  was  just  about  to  kill  the  little  mouse  when 
it  begged  his  mercy.  It  begged  the  lion  not  to 
stain  his  character  with  the  blood  of  such  a  small 
beast.  The  lion  took  pity  on  the  poor  little  mouse 
and  let  it  go. 


128     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


Not  long  after,  the  lion  was  caught  in  a  net 
laid  by  hunters.  Try  as  he  might,  he  could  not 
free  himself.  He,  therefore,  began  to  roar  loudly. 
The  little  mouse  heard  the  roar  and  recognized  it 
as  that  of  its  friend,  the  lion.  So  it  ran  to  the 
lion  as  fast  as  it  could.  When  it  saw  the  trouble 
the  lion  was  in,  it  gnawed  apart  the  cords  and 
fastenings  and  set  free  the  royal  beast. 


Hearts  like  doors  will  ope  with  ease 

To  very,  very  little  keys. 

And  don't  forget  that  two  of  these 

Are  'T  thank  you,"  and  ''If  you  please.' 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     129 

LESSON   83 
GOOD   MANNERS 

There  is  a  saying  that  actions  speak  louder  than 
words.  This  means  that  a  person  is  judged  more 
by  what  he  does  than  by  what  he  says.  It  is 
not  enough  for  a  man  to  think  that  he  is  a  gen- 
tleman.    He  must  act  like  one. 

Gentlemanly  conduct  means  consideration  for 
others'  feelings.  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would 
have  others  to  do  unto  you,"  is  a  good  rule  to 
follow. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  are  always  polite.  In  a 
crowded  car  a  gentleman  always  proffers  his  seat 
to  a  lady  or  an  old  man.  A  lady  always  says 
** thank  you"  when  proffered  a  seat. 

A  gentleman  never  pushes  his  way  roughly 
through  a  crowd.  He  always  permits  ladies  and 
old  men  to  board  a  car  before  him.  He  never 
annoys  people  in  a  theater  by  loud  talking.  He 
is  always  dressed  neatly.  He  has  his  clothes 
brushed,  and  his  shoes  shined.  He  has  his  hair 
combed  and  his  hands  and  face  clean. 

A  gentleman  never  uses  improper  words.  He 
is  always  kind  and  pleasant  to  others. 

When  visiting  a  house  a  gentleman  wipes  his 
shoes  before  entering.  He  removes  his  hat  upon 
entering.     He  does  not  outstay  his  welcome. 

MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. Q 


130  .  PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS      • 

At  home  a  gentleman  honors  his  father  and 
mother.  He  is  never  ashamed  of  them  because 
they  are  old-fashioned.  He  appreciates  that  it 
is  not  so  easy  for  old  people  to  learn  American 
customs.  He  does  his  full  share  towards  maintain- 
ing the  house. 

At  the  table  a  gentleman  eats  slowly.  He  uses 
a  fork.  He  does  not  put  food  into  his  mouth  with 
his  knife.  He  uses  a  napkin  when  eating.  He 
sits  at  the  table  with  clean  hands  and  face,  and 
with  hair  combed.  He  asks  quietly  for  what  he 
wants  at  the  table.  He  does  not  reach  over  to 
grab  anything. 

(Topic:     Deportment  as  a  factor  in  being  successful.) 


PICTURE   TO   BE   DESCRIBED 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     131 

LESSON   84 

COLORS 

red  blue  white  rainbow 

orange  violet  gray  flag 

yellow  pink  black  shades 

green  brown  tan  eyes 

In  the  summer,  after  a  rainstorm,  we  often  see 
the  rainbow.     It  is  made  up  of  different  colors. 

What  are  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  .? 

The  most  important  colors  are  red,  orange, 
yellow,  green,  blue,  and  violet.  Other  colors  may 
be  made  from  these  by  mixing  them. 

What  is  the  color  of  the  sky  .? 

Name  some  objects  which  are  green. 

Name  some  fruits  which  have  a  yellow  color. 

What  colors  may  roses  have  ? 

What  color  are  your  shoes  .? 

What  colors  are  in  the  United  States  flag  .? 

Of  what  color  are  your  eyes  .? 

What  color  do  you  like  best  ^ 

It  is  better  to  wear  quiet  colors  than  loud  colors. 

Refined  people  do  not  wear  clothes  of  bright 
shades. 

(Topic  :  Color  recognition.  Give  an  object  lesson  on  color  se- 
lection. Impress  pupils  with  the  vulgarity  of  loud  or  glaring 
colors  in  dress.) 


132     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   85 
THE    DISCOVERY   OF   AMERICA 

America  Isabella  Italy  Europe 

Columbus  India  Spain  continent 

Up  to  a  few  centuries  ago,  most  people  thought 
that  the  earth  was  flat.  At  that  time  there  lived 
a  man  in  Italy  named  Columbus,  who  believed 
the  earth  to  be  round.  Some  people  laughed  at 
him  and  said  he  was  crazy. 

In  Columbus's  time  Europe  carried  on  a  large 
trade  with  India.  In  those  days  it  took  a  long 
time  for  traders  to  go  from  Europe  to  India  because 
they  had  to  travel  a  large  part  of  the  way  by  land. 
To  go  to  India  they  had  to  go  eastward.' 

Columbus  believed  that,  the  earth  being  round, 
he  could  sail  to  the  west  and  reach  India  in  that 
way. 

After  many  disappointments  he  obtained  help 
from  Queen  Isabella  of  Spain,  who  fitted  out  three 
small  ships  for  him. 

Columbus,  with  about  one  hundred  men,  set 
sail  from  Spain  in  1492.  The  voyage  was  a  long 
one.  The  sailors  became  frightened  and  homesick. 
They  thought  they  were  lost  and  would  never  get 
home  again.  They  wanted  Columbus  to  turn 
back,  but  he  refused  ;  he  did  not  want  to  give  up. 

^  Show  routes,  etc.,  on  geographical  globe  or  map. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     133 

At  last,  after  having  been  at  sea  ten  weeks,  they 
began  to  see  signs  of  land.  The  water  was  green. 
Seaweeds  floated  past ;  birds  flew  over  the  ship  ; 
a  log  of  wood  came  tossing  by ;  the  smell  of  fields 
was  in  the  air ;  and  once  a  great  tree  with  roots 
and  branches  was  seen  floating  on  the  water. 

Columbus  and  the  men  watched  for  land  until 
the  sun  went  down.  When  it  was  dark  he  saw 
a  light  far  away.  The  men  on  watch  saw  it  too. 
They  shouted  ''Land  !  Land  !"  Then  they  hove 
to,  and  waited  for  day. 

When  the  sun  rose  next  morning  there  was  land 
indeed.  It  was  a  small  island  with  many  beauti- 
ful trees  and  flowers  growing  upon  it. 

Columbus  and  his  men  went  ashore.  The 
natives,  who  were  watching  them,  thought  they 
were  beings  who  had  come  down  from  the  sky. 

The  natives  were  different  from  white  people. 
They  had  copper-colored  skins,  straight  black 
hair,  large  dark  eyes,  high  cheeks,  and  wide  mouths. 
Columbus  called  them  Indians,  for  he  beheved 
that  the  island  was  a  part  of  India.  People  did 
not  know  till  several  years  later  that  this  country 
which  Columbus  discovered  was  a  great  continent, 
the  continent  which  we  now  call  America. 

Columbus  made  three  other  voyages.  He  sailed 
along  the  coast  of  South  America,  and  discovered 
many  islands. 


134     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   86 

THE 

LANDING    OF    THE   PILGRIMS 

pilgrims 

England           freedom           wished 

worship 

Holland            country           sailed 

church 

Dutch              people              remained 

In  this  country  we  have,  as  you  know,  reli- 
gious freedom.  That  is,  a  person  can  worship  God 
in  any  way  that  seems  to  him  best.  Three  hun- 
dred years  ago,  before  this  country  was  settled, 
people  did  not  enjoy  such  freedom.  In  England, 
for  instance,  people  were  persecuted  if  they  did 
not  belong  to  the  Church  of  England. 

Now,  there  were  some  people  in  England  who 
wished  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way.  So 
they  decided  to  leave  England  and  go  to  some 
other  country  where  they  could  have  religious 
freedom.  They,  therefore,  went  to  Holland,  where 
they  remained  several  years.  These  people  are 
known  as  the  Pilgrims. 

After  a  time  they  left  Holland  because  they  did 
not  wish  their  children  to  grow  up  and  know 
only  the  Dutch  language  and  customs.  One 
hundred  and  twenty  of  them  set  sail  for  America. 
They  sailed  in  a  ship  called  the  Mayflower.  They 
landed  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  in  the  year 
1620. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH    FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     135 

LESSON   87 
THANKSGIVING    DAY 

The  Pilgrims  landed  in  this  country  on  a  day  in 
December.  The-  weather  was  very  cold.  They 
did  not  have  warm  houses  to  live  in.  They 
suffered  also  from  hunger  because  they  did  not 
have  much  food. 

The  first  winter  was  a  very  hard  one  for  them. 
Nearly  half  of  their  number  died,  but  the  rest 
endured  their  sufferings  bravely.  The  following 
year,  conditions  improved  for  them ;  they  had 
plenty  of  food  and  shelter.  They  were,  therefore, 
happy  and  gave  thanks  to  God. 

The  day  they  celebrated  with  thanks  they 
named  ''Thanksgiving  Day."  We  now  observe 
Thanksgiving  Day  every  year. 

The  Important  Holidays 

Washington's  Birthday  February  22 

Memorial  Day  May  30 

Independence  Day  July  4 

Labor  Day  First  Monday  in  Sept. 

Columbus  Day  October  12 

Thanksgiving  Day  Last  Thursday  in  Nov. 

Christmas  Day  December  25 

(Topic:  Meanings  of  the  holidays  and  the  local  festivals.) 


136     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


LESSON   88 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON  —  I 

It  is  almost  two  centuries 
since  George  Washington 
was  born.  It  is  more  than 
a  century  since  he  died, 
and  yet  his  name  still  stands 
first  of  all  Americans. 

His  birthday  was  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1732.  It  is  cele- 
brated every  year.  On  all 
public  buildings  flags  are 
hoisted,  and  from  every 
fort   and   ship   of  war  cannon  are  fired. 

George  Washington's  father  died  when  George 
was  ten  years  old.  His  mother  educated  him  for 
a  land  surveyor. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  George  was  appointed  a 
major  and  was  sent  on  an  important  journey  of 
600  miles  through  the  woods,  amid  cold  and  snow. 
Later  he  was  made  commander-in-chief  of  all  the 
forces  of  Virginia.  Twenty  years  later,  when 
war  broke  out  between  the  colonies  and  Great 
Britain,  he  was  chosen  to  take  command  of  the 
American  army. 

This  army  was  very  small  indeed.  It  was 
composed  of  only  14,000  men.     Very  few  of  these 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     137 

men  had  been  'trained  to  arms.  They  were 
farmers  and  mechanics.  They  had  but  few  can- 
non, scarcely  any  tents,  and  powder  enough  to 
last  only  a  few  days.  Many  of  the  men  were 
sick.  Some  were  discouraged  and  wanted  to  go 
home.  George  Washington  took  command  of 
this  army  in  Cambridge. 

Across  the  river  in  Boston  were  eleven  thousand 
well-trained  British  soldiers,  but  George  Washing- 
ton was  not  discouraged.  Even  during  the  war, 
when  he  had  few  men  and  no  money,  food  or 
clothing,  his  courage  kept  up.  It  was  this  courage 
and  spirit  which  inspired  his  men  to  endure  every- 
thing bravely  until  the  war  came  to  a  close  in 
1783. 

LESSON  89 
GEORGE   WASHINGTON  — II 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Washington  retired  to 
his  home  at  Mount  Vernon.  He  was  then  fifty 
years  old.  He  was  very  glad  to  return  to  his 
home.  He  had  served  his  country  long  and  well. 
Now  he  was  tired  and  wished  to  rest. 

The  people,  however,  did  not  let  him  rest  long. 
They  could  not  get  along  without  him.  They 
insisted  that  he  become  their  first  president. 

Though  he  wished  now  to  live  in  peace,  he  could 


138     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

not  refuse  the  people's  pleadings.  He  was  too 
good  and  too  great  to  live  as  a  private  citizen. 
He  belonged  to  his  country. 

On  the  way  to  New  York  to  take  the  oath  of 
office  he  was  met  everywhere  by  throngs  of  people 
trying  to  do  him  honor. 

The  old  and  the  young,  women  and  children, 
thronged  the  highways  to  welcome  him.  Beauti- 
ful floral  arches  were  erected,  and  the  ground  was 
strewn  with  roses.  In  all  ways  the  people  did  their 
best  to  show  their  love  for  him. 

For  two  terms,  eight  years,  George  Washington 
was  president  of  the  United  States.  He  refused 
a  third  term.  He  did  not  think  it  right  for  one 
man  to  be  president  longer  than  eight  years. 

Washington  had  been  great  as  a  soldier.  He 
was  equally  great  as  a  statesman.  His  two  chief 
qualities  were  integrity  and  fairness.  He  knew 
what  was  right,  and  did  it.  At  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  he  retired  for  the  last  time  to  Mount  Vernon. 

There  he  lived  for  more  than  two  years,  when  he 
died  suddenly  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  The 
whole  nation  mourned  his  loss.  He  has  ever 
since  been  called  the  Father  of  His  Country. 

How  many  presidents  have  there  been  since 
Washington  ? 

Give  their  names. 

Who  is  president  now  ? 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     139 

LESSON   90 
ABRAHAM   LINCOLN  — I 

February  12,  1809  marks 
the  date  of  the  birth  of  one  of 
the  greatest  and  best  men  our 
country  has  ever  had.  This 
man  was  Abraham  Lincoln. 
He  was  born  of  very  poor 
parents  in  a  log  cabin  in  the  .- 
backwoods  of  Kentucky. 

There  were  no  free  schools 
in  those  days,  and  Lincoln's 
parents  were  too  poor  to  send 

him  to  school.  Lincoln,  therefore,  had  to  educate 
himself.  He  did  not  have  any  books,  paper,  pens 
or  pencils  as  children  now  have.  He  sometimes 
walked  many  miles  to  borrow  books  from  a  friend. 
For  practice  in  writing  he  used  charcoal  and  a 
wooden  shovel.  He  was  always  industrious,  work- 
ing hard  in  the  daytime  and  studying  hard  at 
night. 

Lincoln  left  home  at  twenty-two,  to  seek  his  for- 
tune. His  first  job  was  as  clerk  in  a  store.  Then, 
he  learned  surveying.  The  people  who  knew  him 
were  not  afraid  to  trust  him,  and  almost  everybody 
called  him  "Honest  Abe." 

Lincoln  became  a  candidate  for  the  state  legis- 


I40    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

lature.in  Illinois  and  was  elected.  He  did  so  well 
that  he  was  reelected  three  times. 

Those  were  the  days  when  the  people  of  the 
South  kept  slaves.  Many  people  in  the  North 
thought  this  was  wrong.  Lincoln  thought  that 
slavery  was  harmful  to  the  nation. 

Lincoln  became  a  lawyer.  After  a  while  he 
was  sent  to  Washington  as  a  representative  from 
Illinois.  He  soon  made  himself  heard  and  the 
whole  country  began  to  know  him  and  trust  him 
more  and  more.  Finally,  in  i860,  he  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected  president  of  the  United  States. 


.   LESSON  91 
ABRAHAM   LINCOLN  — II 

It  was  during  Lincoln's  administration  that  the 
North  and  the  South  were  engaged  in  civil  war. 
The  South  wanted  to  leave  the  Union  and  make 
a  government  of  its  own.  The  North  said  that 
the  Union  must  be  held  together  at  any  cost,  and 
that  the  slaves  must  be  freed. 

Four  long  years  did  the  war  last,  and  four  dark 
years  they  were  to  Abraham  Lincoln. 

He  had  to  listen  to  everybody's  complaints. 
He  had  to  look  on  while  thousands  of  homes  were 
broken  up.     But  he  kept  up  his  patience  for  his 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     141 

country's  sake.  He  knew  that  it  was  the  only 
way  the  Union  could  be  preserved. 

Finally,  at  the  beginning  of  his  second  term,  the 
war  was  ended.  The  North  had  conquered. 
Peace  was  restored.  Then  Lincoln  began  the 
work  of  reuniting  the  North  with  the  South  in 
brotherly  affection.  But  he  did  not  live  long 
enough  to  finish  it.  A  bullet  from  a  pistol  in  the 
hands  of  a  half-crazy  actor  crashed  into  his  brain 
as  he  sat  in  the  theater  on  the  night  of  April  14, 
1865".     The  next  morning  he  was  dead. 

The  bells  of  the  nation  tolled  mournfully.  The 
whole  world  wept  for  the  good  man  who  had  gone. 

We  now  realize  that  it  was  his  greatness  and 
goodness  that  preserved  our  country. 

LESSON  92 
SHORT   LESSONS   IN   CIVICS 

City  Government 

Good  laws  and  their  proper  enforcement  are  the 
main  conditions  that  help  to  make  a  good  govern- 
ment. Without  these  no  person  would  be  safe  on 
the  street  or  at  home.  To  protect  life  and  prop- 
erty the  people  make  laws  which  all  must  obey. 
If  a  person  steals  or  commits  murder,  he  breaks  the 
law.  If  he  is  found  guilty,  after  a  fair  trial,  he 
is  sent  to  prison  or  punished  in  other  ways. 


142     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


I  \ 


W. 


:  A         'i'kP 


The  City  Hall,  New  York,   in  Winter 

In  this  country  the  laws  are  made  by  the  people 
themselves. 

In  some  of  the  small  towns  the  people  get  to- 
gether in  a  large  hall  called  the  Town  Hall.  Here 
they  make  laws  for  themselves  and  discuss  public 
questions.  In  such  a  gathering  every  citizen  has 
a  direct  voice  in  the  management  of  the  public 
affairs  of  the  town. 

In  large  cities  this  is  impossible.  Therefore, 
the  people  elect  men  to  make  laws  for  them  and 
to  manage  public  affairs.  This  is  what  is  meant 
by  City  Government. 

Now,  in  every  kind  of  business,  as  in  every 
family,  there  must  be  a  head  manager.     So  the 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     143 

city,  which  is  really  a  very  big  family,  must  also 
have  a  chief  manager  or  leader. 

In  your  shop  there  is  a  manager  or  foreman  who 
is  responsible  for  all  the  work.  In  the  same  way 
the  city  must  have  a  manager  to  take  care  of  the 
city  affairs.  It  is  his  duty  to  see  that  the  men 
who  make  the  laws,  and  the  others  who  enforce 
these  laws,  do  their  duty  properly.  This  manager 
or  chief  officer  is  called  the  mayor. 

A  mayor  has  a  great  many  important  respon- 
sibilities. He  must  see  that  the  laws  are  properly 
enforced.  He  must  see  that  the  streets  are  kept 
clean  and  the  city  buildings  and  yards  kept  in 
good  repair.  He  must  protect  life  and  property 
from  bad  people  and  from  fire.  He  must  look 
out  for  the  health  of  the  people.  He  must  see 
that  the  taxes  are  collected.  He  must  see  that 
proper  schools  are  provided. 

Now,  all  this  is  too  much  for  one  man  to  do. 
So  the  mayor  has  other  men  to  help  him.  Under 
him  he  has  the  police  department,  the  street- 
cleaning  department,  the  building  department, 
the  health  department,  the  water  department, 
assessors  and  various  lesser  officers. 

The  department  of  the  city  government  which 
makes  the  laws  or  ordinances  is  usually  made  up 
of  two  branches  :  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  the 
Common  Council. 


144     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   93 
The  Police  Department 

In  large  cities  there  are  many  kinds  of  people. 
There  are  good  people  and  bad  people.  There  are 
honest  men  and  thieves.  We  know  that  the  good 
people  will  not  break  the  laws,  but  the  bad  peo- 
ple have  to  be  watched,  or  they  will  steal,  rob 
and  break  the  laws  in  other  ways. 

We,  therefore,  have  men  to  watch  and  prevent 
their  lawbreaking.  The  police  are  the  men  who 
see  that  the  laws  are  obeyed.  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  police  to  protect  us  and  our  homes  day  and 
night.  They  arrest  lawbreakers  and  bring  them 
into  court. 

A  policeman  in  this  country  is  a  friend  to  every 
one  that  he  meets.  He  does  all  in  his  power  to 
help  people.  He  gives  information  to  strangers. 
He  returns  lost  children  to  their  homes.  He  helps 
people  cross  busy  streets.  He  stops  reckless 
driving  and  regulates  traffic.  He  looks  out  for 
accidents.  He  telephones  for  the  ambulance  for 
sick  or  injured  persons.  He  is  on  duty  in  all 
kinds  of  weather.  He  stops  disorders  and  does 
many  other  things  for  the  protection  of  the  people. 


'*An  honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     145 

LESSON  94 
The  Fire  Department 

See  the  fire  engines  rushing  through  the  crowded 
streets  !  Hear  the  bells  clanging  and  the  people 
shouting  !  You  say  to  yourself,  '*  There  is  a  fire 
somewhere  ;  I  wonder  if  there  are  any  people  in 
danger."  You  do  not  think  so  much  about  the 
house    or    the    goods    being    destroyed. 

You  are  not  afraid  of  the  house  burning  down 
because  you  have  confidence  in  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment. You  feel  sure  that  the  brave  men  on  the 
fire  engines  and  ladders  will  do  their  duty.  When 
you  see  the  engines  rushing  past,  you  feel  that  it 
will  not  take  them  long  to  reach  the  fire ;  and  that, 
when  they  reach  it,  it  will  not  take  them  long  to 
put  the  fire  out. 

Now,  do  you  ever  stop  to  think  how  hard  it 
would  be  to  get  along  without  the  firemen  ^  If 
you  do,  then  perhaps  you  know  what  the  Fire 
Department  means  to  the  city.  It  means  that 
there  are  people  in  the  city  always  ready  to  pro- 
tect your  house  in  case  of  fire.  That  is  why 
you  sleep  so  soundly  at  night.  You  do  not  need 
to  worry  about  fires.  The  Fire  Department  is 
always  ready  to  protect  you. 

(Conversation  :  Prevention,  and  the  procedure  in  discovery  of 
fires.) 

MARK.  PRAC.  ENG. lO 


146    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   95 
The  Street  Cleaning  Department 

Clean  streets  are  desirable  for  two  reasons : 
first,  the  appearance  of  the  city  ;  and  second,  the 
health  of  its  people. 

If  the  streets  are  clean,  it  is  an  indication  that 
the  people  are  clean  and  careful.  If  the  streets 
are  dirty,  it  shows  that  the  people  are  unclean  and 
careless.  It  is  the  same  way  as  in  visiting  a  house. 
If  the  house  is  dirty,  you  do  not  have  much  respect 
for  the  people  in  the  house.  So  with  the  city : 
if  the  city  is  not  clean,  strangers  will  think  that 
the  people  do  not  take  much  interest  in  the  city. 

No  one  likes  to  walk  in  the  street  and  have  his 
eyes,  ears,  mouth,  nose  and  lungs  filled  with  dirt 
and  dust.     It  is  very  unhealthful  to  breathe  dust. 

To  keep  all  the  streets  clean  and  free  from  ice  in 
winter,  the  city  must  employ  a  great  many  men. 
This  is  done  by  the  Street  Cleaning  Department. 

The  city  spends  a  great  deal  of  money  to  keep 
the  streets  clean.  This  money  comes  out  of  the 
people's  pockets.  Now,  every  person  can  help 
the  city  save  some  of  this  money  by  helping  to 
keep  the  streets  clean.  If  you  are  in  the  park, 
don't  throw  rubbish  on  the  grass.  Throw  it  into 
the  boxes  or  barrels  placed  there  for  that  purpose. 

(Topic  :     Relation  of  cleanliness  to  health.) 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     147 

LESSON  96    • 
The  Health  Department 

There  is  a  department  in  the  city  government 
which  helps  to  keep  the  people  in  good  health. 
This  is  the  Health  Department. 

It  is  the  duty  of  this  department  to  see  that 
all  dirty  and  filthy  places  are  made  clean.  It 
must  also  try  to  keep  the  city  free  from 
diseases. 

This  department  employs  men  who  inspect 
all  bakeshops,  grocery  stores  and  meat  markets. 
The  law  prohibits  stores  from  selling  bad  or  impure 
food.  If  the  inspectors  find  any  impure  food  in  a 
store,  the  proprietor  is  summoned  to  court  and 
punished. 

The  department  employs  other  men  to  visit 
the  workrooms.  These  men  see  that  the  working 
people  in  all  shops  get  good  air  and  sunshine. 

The  Health  Department  also  tries  to  prevent 
the  spreading  of  contagious  diseases.  If  the 
oflScials  find  that  a  person  has  diphtheria,  scarlet 
fever  or  any  other  contagious  disease,  that  person 
is  taken  to  the  hospital. 

If  the  sick  person  remains  in  his  own  home, 
he  is  separated  from  other  people  in  the  house. 
This  is  done  to  prevent  others  from  catching  the 
disease.     After  the  sick  person  is  removed  to  the 


148     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

hospital,  or  after  he  gets  well  at  home,  the  rooms 
are  fumigated  in  order  to  kill  all  germs. 

Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  the  Health  Depart- 
ment's work  is  very  important.  For  that  reason 
it  is  every  person's  duty  to  help  the  department  as 
much  as  he  can. 

Housekeepers  should  take  care  to  keep  their 
refuse  outside.  They  should  see  that  the  garbage 
and  refuse  are  collected  every  time  the  garbage 
collectors  come  around. 

It  is  very  important  that  contagious  diseases 
should  be  reported  to  the  department  as  soon  as 
possible.     Otherwise,    the    disease    may    spread. 

Every  person  should  be  careful  not  to  spit  on 
sidewalks  or  in  public  places.  Spit  spreads  dis- 
ease. Consumption  is  very  often  spread  in  this 
manner. 


Our  to-days  and  yesterdays  are  the  blocks 
with  which  we  build." 


(Topic :     Free   medical    and   surgical   service    at    hospitals    and 
dispensaries.) 

'*  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And  departing,  leave  behind  us 
Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time." 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     149 

LESSON    97 
HYGIENE 

Nothing  is  of  more  importance  to  a  person  than 
good  health.  Without  it  no  one  can  be  happy. 
It  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  preserve  it  while  we 
have  it. 

To  keep  in  good  health  we  must  be  careful  to 
breathe  fresh  air,  eat  good  food  and  keep  our 
bodies  clean. 

No  one  can  be  healthy  who  is  always  breathing 
dust  and  foul  air.  Therefore,  when  you  sleep  at 
night,  and  when  you  work  in  the  shop,  keep  the 
windows  open.  Breathe  deeply  whenever  you 
can.  This  will  develop  the  lungs  and  make  them 
stronger  and  less  liable  to  become  diseased. 

Remember  that  sunlight  is  very  good  for  you. 
Always  try  to  have  the  sun  in  your  room  or  in 
your  workshop.  The  sun  is  your  friend.  The 
trees  and  the  flowers  cannot  grow  without  sun- 
light. Sunlight  is  good  for  them,  and  it  is  good 
for  you,  too.  It  kills  the  germs  of  disease.  Then 
always  welcome  it,  and  never  keep  it  out  of  any 
room. 

Good  food  is  necessary  to  good  health.  The 
food  must  be  fresh  and  nourishing.  Drink  plenty 
of  milk  and  eat  fresh  eggs  every  day.  Good  food, 
and  plenty  of  it,  makes  one  strong  and  enriches 


150     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

the  blood.  With  good  blood  one  may  be  able  to 
resist  disease. 

Food,  when  not  chewed  well,  fails  to  be  as 
beneficial  as  it  should.  Every  person  should 
remember  to  chew  his  food  well  and  to  eat 
slowly. 

If  your  teeth  are  bad  and  you  cannot  chew 
your  food  properly,  go  to  the  dentist  and  he  will 
take  care  of  them  for  you.  Bad  teeth  cause 
disease ;  so,  take  care  of  your  teeth.  Clean 
them  with  a  toothbrush  and  powder  after  each 
meal. 

Exercise  is  also  necessary  to  health.  Walking, 
rowing,  running  and  ball  playing  are  good  forms 
of  exercise.  If  one  has  time  and  opportunity, 
he  should  attend  a  gymnasium.  There  he  can 
build  up  his  muscles  better  than  anywhere  else. 

No  person  can  keep  in  good  health  if  he  is  not 
clean.  Bathe  often.  Do  not  be  stingy  with 
soap  and  water.  They  are  both  cheap,  and  will 
do  you  a  great  deal  of  good.  It  is  not  enough  to 
wash  your  hands  and  face.  You  must  wash  your 
body  often. 


Cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness." 


(Topic  :     The  benefits  of  open-air  living.) 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     151 

LESSON  98 
HOW   THE   CITY   RAISES    ITS   MONEY 

You  know  how  much  it  costs  you  for  food  and 
clothes.  If  you  are  the  head  of  the  family,  you 
also  know  how  much  it  takes  to  support  a  family. 
Do  you  realize  how  much  money  the  city  needs 
for  all  its  departments  ^ 

You  have  read  about  the  police,  fire,  street 
cleaning  and  health  departments.  You  know 
that  the  city  pays  the  men  in  these  departments. 
You  also  know  that  the  city  maintains  schools, 
lights  the  streets,  purifies  drinking  water,  collects 
ashes  and  refuse,  and  does  many  other  things  for 
its  people. 

Where  does  the  city  get  the  money  necessary 
to  do  all  these  things  ? 

The  city  raises  money  through  taxes. 

A  tax  is  the  money  paid  to  the  city  by  the 
people  living  in  the  city.  Taxes  are  paid  on  houses, 
land,  shops  and  stores. 

What  is  a  poll  tax  .?  Who  are  supposed  to  pay 
poll  taxes  ^ 

The  city  also  raises  money  from  licenses.  What 
is  a  license  ^  What  is  the  tax  rate  in  your  city 
this    year  .?     How    is    the    tax    rate    determined  ? 

If  you  buy  anything  in  a  store,  you  have  to  pay 
for  it.     You  get   nothing  free  there.     Now,   the 


152     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

city  furnishes  you  free  schools,  protects  your 
life  and  property  as  well  as  your  health,  and  does 
a  great  many  other  things  for  you.  Is  it  not  just 
that  you  should  pay  your  share  in  return  for  all 
these  things  ? 

(Topic  :     Levying  of  taxes  —  federal  revenue.) 


A  young  man  idle,  an  old  man  needy." 


LESSON  99 
STATE   GOVERNMENT 

In  your  school  the  teacher  has  charge  of  the 
schoolroom.  That  is,  she  governs  it.  The  prin- 
cipal governs  all  the  schoolrooms  in  the  school. 
Then,  there  is  a  superintendent  of  schools  who  has 
charge  of  all  the  schools  in  your  city.  That  is, 
he  governs  all  the  smaller  governments  in  the 
separate  schools.  In  the  same  way  your  state 
government  looks  after  the  governments  of  the 
cities  in  the  state. 

The  state  government  is  in  many  ways  similar 
to  the  city  government.  It  has  a  head  manager 
and  departments  which  are  chosen  by  the  people 
themselves. 

The  head  of  the  state  government  is  called  the 
governor.     His   term  of  oflfice   in   some   states  is 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     153 

one  year ;  in  others  it  is  two  years ;  in  others  it  is 
four  years.  It  is  the  governor's  duty  to  see  that 
the  laws  of  the  state  are  faithfully  executed.  He 
also  sees  that  the  public  business  of  the  state  is 
conducted  properly.  Like  the  mayor  in  the  city 
government,  the  governor  has  departments  to 
help  him. 

The  department  of  the  state  which  enacts  the 
laws  is  called  the  Legislature.  The  Legislature 
is  made  up  of  two  branches,  the  Senate  and  the 
House  of  Representatives.  These  branches  are 
also  elected  by  the  people. 


LESSON   100 
NATIONAL   GOVERNMENT 

We  have  read  of  the  city  government  for  the 
taking  care  of  the  city,  and  of  the  state  govern- 
ment for  the  taking  care  of  the  state.  Now,  we 
shall  read  about  the  national  government. 

By  national  government  we  mean  the  govern- 
ment that  takes  care  of  the  whole  nation.  What 
the  state  government  is  to  the  city  governments  in 
that  state  the  national  government  is  to  the  state 
governments  of  the  nation. 

The  national  government  is  made  up  of  three 
departments  : 


154     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

The  lawmaking  department  is  known  as  Con- 
gress. It  is  to  the  nation  what  the  Legislature 
is  to  the  state,  or  the  Board  of  Aldermen  to  the 
city. 

Congress  is  made  up  of  two  branches,  a  Senate 
and  a  House  of  Representatives,  just  like  the 
Legislature  of  a  state. 

How  are  representatives  elected  ^  How  are 
senators  chosen  ^     Who  are  your  senators  ^ 

The  executive  department  is  composed  of  the 
president  and  his  cabinet.  The  president  does 
for  the  United  States  what  a  governor  does  for 
his  state,  or  what  a  mayor  does  for  his  city.  He 
takes  care  that  the  national  laws  are  faithfully 
executed. 

The  president  has  so  many  interests  to  attend 
to  that  he  selects  other  men  to  help  him.  These 
men  form  his  cabinet.  Can  you  name  the  members 
of  the  present  cabinet  .^ 

The  president  is  elected  by  the  people  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  If,  however,  he  does  not 
perform  his  duties  faithfully,  he  may  be  impeached 
by  Congress. 

The  judicial  department  is  vested  in  the  Supreme 
Court. 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  Supreme  Court  ? 

What  is  the  Constitution  ? 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     155 

LESSON   loi 

NATURALIZATION 

Becoming  a  Citizen 

If  you  wish  to  have  a  voice  in  your  government, 
you  must  become  a  citizen.  You  cannot  vote  if 
you  are  not  a  citizen. 

The  first  step  to  become  a  citizen  is  to  get  your 
hrst  papers. 

To  get  these,  one  must  go  to  the  United  States 
Circuit  Court  and  fill  out  a  blank.  This  blank 
is  as  follows  :  — 

Name :    

(Do  not  abbreviate  any  part  of  name 
by  initial  or  otherwise) 

Age :   years. 

(Give  age  at  last  birthday) 

Occupation  : 

Color  :   Complexion  :    

Height :   feet   inches. 

Weight :   pounds. 

Color  of  hair  : Color  of  eyes  :    


156     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 
Other  visible  distinctive  marks  :   

(If  no  visible  distinctive  marks  so  state) 

Where  born  :    ; 

(City  or  town)  (Country) 

Date  of  birth  :   , , 

(Month)  (Day)  (Year) 

Present  residence :    

(Number  and  street) 

(City  or  town)     (State,  territory,  or  district) 

Emigrated  from :   

(Port  of  embarkation) 

(Country) 

Name  of  vessel :    

(If  the    applicant   arrived    otherwise    than 

by  vessel,  the  character  of  conveyance  or 
name  of  transportation  company  should  be 
given) 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     157 

Last  place  of  foreign  residence  :    

(City  or  Town) 

(Country) 
I   am  now  a  subject  of  and  intend  to  renounce 

(See  note) 
allegiance  to  —    

(Name) 

(Title) 

Date  of  arrival  in  United  States  :   

(Month) 

(Day)  (Year) 

Port  of  arrival :    

(City  or  town) 

(State  or  territory) 

Note.  If  applicant  is  a  citizen  of  a  foreign 
republic,  he  should  fill  in  the  following  line  in 
lieu  of  the  above,  writing  the  name  of  the  republic 
only. 

I   am  now  a  citizen  of  and   intend   to  renounce 
allegiance  to  the  Republic  of 

The  clerk  of  the  court  helps  a  man  to  fill  out 
the  blank.     When  the  blank  is  filled  out,  the  man 


158     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  FOR  NEW  AMERICANS 

must  swear  that  he  answered  truthfully.  The 
clerk  then  gives  the  man  the  filled-out  blank. 
This  is  known  as  the  '*  First  Papers."  They  cost 
one  dollar. 

A  man  can  get  his  First  Papers  as  soon  as 
he  arrives  in  this  country.  These  First  Papers 
do  not,  however,  make  a  man  a  citizen.  He  must 
get  his  **  second,"  or  Final  Papers. 

To  get  Final  Papers  a  man  must  have  lived  in 
this  country  at  least  five  years.  Also,  two  years 
must  elapse  between  the  First  and  the  Final 
Papers. 

To  get  the  Final  Papers  a  man  must  go  to  the 
court  and  fill  out  another  blank.  The  witnesses 
who  sign  this  paper  must  have  known  him  at  least 
five  years.  They  must  be  United  States  citizens. 
They  must  fill  out  blanks  in  which  they  tell  all 
they  know  about  the  man. 

The  candidate  must  pay  four  dollars  when  he 
fills  out  his  blank.  When  the  blanks  are  properly 
filled,  the  candidate  and  witnesses  are  sworn  in. 
They  are  then  told  to  come  again  in  about  ninety 
days. 

After  the  ninety  days  the  three  must  appear 
before  the  judge.  They  are  first  sworn  in.  Then 
the  candidate  is  asked  questions  about  the  Consti- 
tution and  the  United  States  government.  If  the 
court  is  satisfied  with  the  answers,  the  man  is  given 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     159 

the  oath  of  allegiance.  That  is,  he  swears  that  he 
will  obey  the  laws  of  the  land  and  will  adopt  this 
country  as  his  own.  He  is  then  given  the  Final 
Papers,  which  means  that  he  has  become  a  citizen. 


LESSON   102 
REGISTRATION   OF   VOTERS 

In  most  states  it  is  necessary  for  every  citizen 
to  have  his  name  registered  before  he  can  vote. 
In  every  election  district  there  is  a  Board  of  Regis- 
trars. The  duty  of  this  board  is  to  make  out  a 
list  of  all  citizens  in  the  district  who  have  a  right 
to  vote. 

As  a  rule,  a  man  wishing  to  vote  must  appear 
before  the  registrars  several  weeks  before  election 
day.  He  must  state  to  them  his  name,  age,  birth- 
place, where  he  lives  and  what  his  occupation 
is.  If  he  has  but  recently  become  a  citizen,  he 
must  also  show  them  his  citizen  papers. 

If  the  registrars  find  that  the  man  has  all  the 
qualifications  of  a  voter,  his  name  is  enrolled  upon 
the  voting  list.     That  is,  he  is  registered. 

Are  you  properly  registered  ?  If  so,  you  should 
make  up  your  mind  to  vote  wisely.  Find  out  who 
are  the  best,  the  wisest,  the  most  efficient  among 
the  candidates,  and  vote  for  them. 


l6o    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON    103 

ELECTIONS 

Voting 

You  have  already  learned  that  in  this  country 
the  people  make  their  own  government  and 
choose  their  own  public  officials. 

They  choose  these  officials  by  voting  for  them. 
Any  citizen  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  may  vote. 

The  men  for  whom  the  people  vote  are  called 
the  candidates.  These  candidates  are  chosen 
from  the  different  political  parties  by  the  members 
of  those  parties. 

On  election  day  it  is  the  duty  of  every  good 
citizen  to  go  to  the  polls  and  vote.  The  polls 
is  a  room  where  the  voters  of  a  district  deposit 
their  ballots.  In  this  room  also  the  ballots  are 
counted  after  the  voting  ends. 

A  ballot  is  a  slip  of  paper  used  in  voting.  On 
it  are  printed  the  names  of  the  candidates  and  the 
names  of  the  great  political  parties. 

When  a  voter  enters  the  polls,  he  gives  his  name 
to  the  election  officers.  These  officers  have  the 
registration  list  before  them.  When  the  voter's 
name  is  found  on  the  list,  it  is  checked  off.  Then 
he  is  given  a  ballot. 

The  voter  takes   his    ballot  and  passes  into  a 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     i6l 

small  private  booth.  In  the  booth  he  finds  writ- 
ing material  and  a  place  to  write  upon. 

If  he  wishes  to  vote  for  certain  candidates,  he 
makes  a  cross  opposite  the  name  of  each. 

He  then  returns  to  the  place  where  the  election 
officers  sit,  and  his  ballot  is  dropped  into  a  large 
box. 

Counting  the  Votes 

On  election  day  the  polls  close  at  a  certain  hour. 
After  the  polls  are  closed  the  ballots  are  counted. 
The  counting  is  done  openly  before  a  number  of 
people.  The  candidate  who  gets  the  largest  num- 
ber of  votes  is  declared  elected. 

If  you  want  a  good  government,  you  must  help 
to  elect  good  and  honest  officials.  That  means 
that  you  must  try  to  learn  as  much  as  you  can 
about  the  candidates. 

If  you  vote  for  a  dishonest  man,  you  may  help 
to  make  the  government  bad.  So  always  be 
careful  with  your  vote. 


Actions  speak  louder  than  words." 


MARK.    PRAC.    ENG. 


l62     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

LESSON   104 
RIGHTS   AND    DUTIES 

In  this  country  every  citizen  is  entitled  to  cer- 
tain rights.  He  has  a  right  to  hve,  to  be  free  and 
to  be  happy.  The  United  States  government 
guarantees  him  equahty  before  the  law.  It  grants 
him  the  right  of  a  fair  trial  if  he  is  brought  into 
court  for  any  reason. 

Every  citizen  has  a  right  to  buy,  sell  and  have 
a  home.  The  United  States  protects  his  home 
as  well  as  his  life  and  liberty.  He  is  given  full 
freedom  in  his  pursuit  of  happiness.  He  may  do 
whatever  he  pleases  so  long  as  he  does  not  interfere 
with  the  rights  of  others. 

Every  citizen  has  a  voice  in  the  making  of  the 
government.  It  is  his  privilege  to  vote  for  the 
men  he  thinks  will  make  the  best  public  officials. 

These  are  his  rights.  But  for  every  right  a 
citizen  enjoys  there  is  a  corresponding  duty. 

The  first  duty  of  a  citizen  is  obedience  to  the 
laws.  Laws  are  made  by  the  people,  for  the  good 
of  all  the  people.  We  cannot  make  special  laws 
for  some  people.  We  cannot  make  exceptions 
for  a  few.  The  laws  are  made  for  everybody  to 
obey,  and  everybody  should  obey  them. 

Every  citizen  should  always  be  ready  to  serve 
his  city,  state  or  country.     He  should  be  prepared, 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     163 

if  necessary,  to  give  up  even  his  life  for  his 
country. 

It  is  also  important  for  every  citizen  to  take  an 
interest  in  the  pubHc  welfare.  A  good  citizen 
pays  his  share  of  the  taxes.  He  is  interested  in 
the  public  health,  in  education  and  in  all  things 
that  are  good  for  his  city  and  state. 

A  good  citizen  watches  the  work  of  the  public 
officials.  At  election  time  he  votes  for  honest  and 
efficient  candidates. 

A  good  citizen  earns  his  own  living.  He  does 
not  become  a  burden  on  others.  He  is  honest  in 
all  his  dealings.  He  is  always  ready  to  help  the 
poor  and  the  helpless. 


A  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit." 


LESSON    105 

CITY   LIFE   AND   COUNTRY   LIFE 

I.     The  Early  Struggles  of  an  Immigrant 

Joseph  Belman  landed  in  New  York  in  1902. 
He  had  left  oppressive  Russia  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  free  America. 

Joseph  landed  here  with  very  little  money.  He 
could  not  afford  to  remain  idle  very  long.  So  he 
started  to  look  for  work  at  once.  He  finally 
obtained  a  job  as  finisher  in  a  skirt  shop. 


l64     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

Joseph  was  not  experienced  in  this  kind  of 
work.  In  Russia  he  had  owned  a  small  store  where 
he  did  not  have  to  work  very  hard.  Now  every- 
thing was  changed.  He  had  to  work  hard  in  the 
shop.  And  worse  still,  he  received  very  small 
wages  for  his  hard  work. 

He  also  found  the  ways  of  living  different  from 
those  in  Russia.  In  Russia  he  lived  in  a  very  small 
town  where  there  was  plenty  of  air  and  grass. 
Also  food  and  rent  were  cheap  in  that  small  town. 
But  in  New  York  he  had  to  live  in  a  small,  stuffy 
room.     Food  was  dear,  and  rent  was  high. 

However,  these  things  did  not  discourage  Jo- 
seph, for  he  had  to  think  of  his  wife  and  two 
children  whom  he  had  left  behind  in  Russia.  He 
was  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  he  could 
send  for  them  to  come  to  America. 

So  he  worked  as  hard  as  he  could.  He  also 
learned  as  much  as  he  could  about  his  work.  As 
his  work  improved,  his  wages  were  raised.  This 
was  a  blessing  to  him,  for  he  was  now  able  to  send 
more  to  his  family.  Also  he  began  to  put  money 
aside  for  the  tickets  that  he  hoped  to  buy  to 
bring  his  family  over. 

For  himself  he  cared  little.  So,  to  save  more, 
he  lived  in  a  cheap  room  and  ate  very  plain  food. 
His  room  was  a  small  back  room  on  the  fourth 
floor    of   a    tenement    house.     No    sunlight    ever 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     165 

entered  there.  No  fresh  air  ever  came  near  the 
place.  The  only  things  Joseph  could  see  from  his 
room  were  the  dirty  windows  and  dirtier  walls  of 
his  neighbors.  The  smell  from  the  back  yard 
was  so  bad  that  Joseph  had  to  keep  his  window 
closed  most  of  the  time. 

All  this  soon  began  to  tell  on  Joseph's  health. 
It  was  impossible  for  any  one  that  was  used  to 
fresh  air  to  remain  healthy  under  such  bad  con- 
ditions. He  gradually  grew  thinner.  His  face 
became  pale.  His  eyes  were  sunken.  He  coughed 
and  he  could  not  sleep  at  night. 

Still,  Joseph  kept  on  working  hard  and  saving. 
Finally  he  had  saved  enough  to  buy  the  tickets. 
He  was  a  proud  man  when  he  sent  his  wife  the 
tickets  and  money  for  the  journey. 

II.     The   Immigrant's   Family  arrives,  and   the  Struggle 
becomes  Harder 

It  was  in  February  and  the  weather  outside  was 
very  cold.  In  a  back  room,  on  the  top  floor  of 
an  old  tenement  house,  were  a  man  and  a  woman 
with  two  children.  They  were  sitting  beside  a 
small  stove.  They  had  their  coats  on,  for  the 
room  was  cold.  There  was  a  fire  in  the  stove, 
but  it  gave  forth  very  little  heat.  The  fire  had 
been  built  with  paper  and  wood.  There  was  no 
coal  in  the  house. 


l66     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS   ' 

Every  few  moments  the  man  would  cough 
dryly.  It  was  clear  that  he  was  not  well.  The 
man  was  in  fact  too  ill  to  work.  The  doctor  had 
ordered  him  to  stop  work  for  a  while.  He  had 
also  advised  him  to  go  to  the  country  to  live  in 
fresh   air. 

But  how  was  the  man  to  get  to  the  country  with- 
out money  ?  He  had  not  worked  for  a  long  time. 
The  family's  little  savings  were  all  gone.  Their 
only  income  was  from  his  wife's  work.  She  had  to  do 
washing  for  others  to  keep  her  family  from  starving. 
The  children  were  yet  too  young  to  work. 

This  man  was  Joseph  Belman  of  whom  we  read 
in  the  last  lesson.  His  wife  and  children  had 
come  to  him  from  Russia  two  years  before. 

Things  had  not  prospered  with  Joseph.  His 
health  had  gradually  failed  after  his  family  had 
come.  His  earnings  had  not  permitted  them  to 
live  in  comfort.  Prices  of  food  were  getting 
higher  every  day.  The  food  value  of  a  dollar  was 
less  than  it  had  been  for  him  in  his  small  town  in 
Russia.  He  earned  more  in  New  York,  but  the 
cost  of  living  was  much  higher  than  in  Russia. 
Rent  was  very  high.  A  large  part  of  his  earnings 
had  to  go  to  his  landlord. 

The  Belman  family  had  to  live  in  cramped  rooms 
under  unhealthy  conditions.  The  more  uncom- 
fortable it  was  for  his  family,  the  harder  Joseph 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     167 

worked  to  earn  more.  And  the  harder  he  worked, 
the  sicker  he  grew,  until  finally  he  became  too 
ill  to  work  at  all. 

Fortunately  for  Joseph,  his  friends  began  to 
take  an  interest  in  his  case.  They  raised  some 
money  which  they  lent  to  Joseph.  They  then 
helped  him  find  a  small  farm  at  some  distance 
from  the  city.  They  thought  that  the  country 
air  would  help  Joseph's  health.  They  expected 
also  that  he  would  do  better  at  farming  than 
working  in  a  shop. 

A  first  payment  was  made  for  the  farm.  The 
balance  was  to  he  paid  by  Joseph  on  easy  terms. 
Joseph  and  his  family,  therefore,  moved  to  the 
country. 

III.     The   Family    moves   to   the   Country   and   finds 
Prosperity 

Four  years  had  passed  since  the  Belmans  had 
moved  to  the  country.  Great  changes  had  taken 
place  in  this  family's  life.  It  was  hard  to  believe 
that  this  same  family  had  been  starving  in  an  old 
tenement  house  four  years  ago. 

Things  had  surely  prospered  with  Joseph.  He 
was  now  a  happy  and  well-to-do  farmer.  He 
lived  in  a  comfortable  house,  surrounded  by 
grass,  trees  and  beautiful  flowers.  He  had  a 
stable  with  horses  and  cows  in  it. 


l68     PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

He  raised  plenty  of  corn  and  wheat.  He  grew 
abundance  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  He  had  several 
cows  and  a  great  many  chickens  and  hens.  The 
Belmans  were  well  supplied  with  food.  They 
baked  their  own  bread.     They  had  their  own  meat, 


...^I^^Pbrl*^- 


milk,  butter  and  eggs.  Everything  they  ate  was 
fresh  and  pure. 

They  had  of  these  things  a  great  deal  more 
than  they  could  use  for  themselves.  So  Joseph 
would  sell  at  the  markets  and  make  a  good  profit. 
This  profit,  of  course,  did  them  a  great  deal  of 
good.  They  could  buy  nice  furniture  and  good 
clothes,  and  get  other  things  for  their  comfort. 
But  these  were  not  the  only  things  they  now 
enjoyed. 

They  breathed  fresh  air  all  the  time.  They  had 
plenty  of  sunlight.  There  was  plenty  of  room  for 
the  children  to  play.  They  could  all  sleep  soundly 
at  night.  Everything  was  quiet  and  peaceful. 
All  this  made  them  healthy.     Joseph  was  again  the 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     169 

same  strong,  healthy  man  that  he  had  been  in 
Russia. 

The  Belmans  were  very  happy  now.  The  first 
year  at  the  farm  had  been  a  hard  one  for  them. 
They  did  not  know  very  much  about  farming, 
and  the  results  were  poor.  But  farming  is  not 
hard  to  learn,  and  so  the  second  year  ended  with 
much  better  results. 

It  was  during  the  third  year,  however,  that 
things  began  to  prosper.  Joseph  had  learned  his 
work  well.  He  had  learned  how  to  get  the  best 
results.  He  worked  hard  and  enjoyed  the  work. 
Good  results  were,  therefore,  bound  to  follow. 


LESSON   106 
OPPORTUNITIES   IN   AGRICULTURE 

We  have  just  read  how  one  family,  having 
struggled  in  the  city,  became  prosperous  after 
moving  to  the  country.  This  is  true  of  thousands 
of  families  all  over  the  country. 

Too  many  of  the  new  Americans  settle  in  the 
large  cities.  It  would  be  a  great  deal  better  for 
most  of  them  if  they  would  settle  in  the  country 
instead.  One  reason  is  that  the  country  is  more 
healthful  than  the  city.  Another  reason  is  that 
living  expenses  are  much  higher  in  the  city. 


I70    PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

In  a  large  city  one  cannot  have  fresh  air.  The 
poor  people  there  have  to  live  in  close,  crowded 
tenement  houses.  These  houses  are  surrounded 
by  taller  buildings  which  shut  off  all  air  and  light. 
The  only  parts  of  the  outside  world  one  can  see 
from  the  houses  are  the  back  windows  of  neigh- 
bors. 

The  houses  are  mostly  old  and  broken  down. 
They  are  cold  in  winter  and  very  hot  in  summer. 

In  the  hot  summer  evenings  the  people  of  these 
houses  cannot  remain  indoors.  They  have  to  be 
on  the  streets,  on  the  roofs  or  in  the  parks.  To 
sleep  in  the  houses  at  night  is  impossible.  The 
fire  escapes  have  to  serve  as  beds. 

In  winter  many  of  these  poor  people  suffer  from 
cold.  They  have  not  enough  coal.  Thousands 
of  them  appeal  to  charitable  organizations  for  fuel 
and  shelter. 

These  things  are  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Most 
of  you  must  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  be  com- 
fortable in  a  large  city.  The  prices  of  all  foods, 
clothes,  etc.,  are  high.  Rent  also  is  very  high, 
and  the  rooms  are  small  and  poorly  ventilated. 
Yet  earnings  are  very  small.  What  chance  has 
an  ordinary  working  man  of  being  comfortable 
under  such  conditions  ^ 

Besides  all  this,  a  large  city  breeds  consump- 
tion, for  consumption  is  caused  by  living  in  impure 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR  NEW  AMERICANS     171 

air.  And  a  large  city  is  the  poorest  place  in  the 
world  for  getting  a  supply  of  fresh  air. 

The  large  city  is  especially  harmful  to  the  new 
Americans  who  have  lived  in  small  towns  in  their 
own  countries.  They  have  been  used  to  fresh  air, 
pure  food  and  restful  living.  These  things  kept 
them  healthy.  When  they  come  to  a  large  city, 
they  are  obliged  to  live  in  air  that  is  full  of  dust, 
smoke  and  unhealthful  germs.  They  have  very 
little  rest.  They  must  work  hard  and  fast  to 
earn  enough.  At  night  they  cannot  sleep  well, 
there  is  so  much  noise  and  the  air  is  so  oppressive. 

In  the  country,  new  Americans  would  be  health- 
ier and  happier  than  in  the  city,  for  there  the  air  is 
pure  and  healthful.  Country  people  live  better  and 
quieter  lives  than  do  city  people.  Their  food  is 
purer  and  cheaper.  There  is  more  sunlight.  Rents 
are  lower.  They  do  not  have  to  work  as  hard  as 
city  people,   for  they  do  not  have  to  earn  so  much. 

The  best  way  to  get  all  the  advantages  of 
country  life  is  to  take  a  small  farm  not  too  far 
from  the  city. 

It  is  not  very  difficult  to  get  such  a  farm.  One 
does  not  need  a  great  deal  of  money.  There  are 
abandoned  farms  in  some  places  that  one  can  buy 
or  lease  on  easy  terms. 

The  State  Agricultural  Department  will  tell  one 
all  about  soils  and  climates  and  about  abandoned 


1/2     PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

farms.  There  are  many  places  where  with  a  Httle 
money  one  can  buy  land  lots.  Many  of  these  can 
be  turned  into  good  gardens  for  raising  truck  to 
be  sold  in  the  city. 

In  the  large  cities  there  are  associations  that 
help  poor  people  who  wish  to  settle  in  the  country. 
These  associations  lend  worthy  people  money 
on  easy  terms. 

On  a  farm  a  family  can  usually  raise  enough  for 
its  own  needs  and  have  something  to  sell.  If  a 
man  is  careful  and  willing  to  work,  he  can  always 
improve  the  land  and  increase  the  produce. 

If  the  poor  people  in  the  cities  would  begin  to 
see  the  opportunities  awaiting  them  in  the  country 
towns,  there  would  not  be  so  many  of  them  sick 
and  unhappy. 

"  Happy  the  man  whose  wish  and  care 
A  few  paternal  acres  bound, 
Content  to  breathe  the  wholesome  air 
In  his  own  ground. 

"  Whose  herds  with  milk,  whose  fields  with  bread, 
Whose  flocks  supply  him  with  attire  ; 
Whose  trees  in  summer  yield  him  shade, 
In  winter,  fire." 

'—Alexander  Pope. 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS     173 

LESSON   107 
AMERICA   OUR   HOME 

Most  of  you  who  have  come  to  America  from 
Europe  probably  landed  in  the  great  city  of  New 
York.  You  may  recall  seeing  the  statue  of  Liberty 
in  the  New  York  harbor. 

It  has  been  placed  there  to  show  the  newcomers 
that  they  are  welcome.  It  lights  the  way  to 
liberty.  It  is  meant  to  show  that  in  this  country 
the  oppressed  of  other  countries  will  find  refuge 
and  freedom. 

It  is  meant  to  show  that  here  every  citizen  has 
a  voice  in  the  making  of  the  laws.  It  is  a  reminder 
that  all  in  this  country  have  equal  opportunities. 

The  name  America  has  come  to  mean  oppor- 
tunity. Thousands  of  persons  have  come  to  this 
country  poor  and  have  become  successful.  They 
saw  the  opportunities  and  grasped  them.  They 
worked  hard  and  succeeded. 

The  chief  secret  of  success  is  to  work  hard.  In 
the  school,  in  the  shop,  wherever  you  wish  to 
succeed,  you  must  do  your  best,  and  try  to  im- 
prove your  mind. 

Is  not  then  this  a  country  to  be  proud  of  ^ 
Should  we  not  all  be  glad  that  we  live  here  ? 
This  is  our  country  —  The  Home  of  the  Free  — 
The  Land  of  Opportunity  —  America. 


174    PRACTICAL  ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 


Here  is  the  United  States  flag.  It  is 
the  flag  that  everyone  respects  and  loves, 
for  it  stands  for  what  is  dear  to  every 
one's  heart  —  justice  and  Hberty. 


PRACTICAL   ENGLISH    FOR    NEW   AMERICANS    175 

This  flag  also  tells  the  story  of  our  country's 
freedom.  The  thirteen  stripes  —  seven  red  and  six 
white  —  represent  the  original  states  that  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  with  England.  It  was 
these  thirteen  states  that  made  this  great  govern- 
ment possible. 

The  colors  of  the  flag,  red,  white  and  blue, 
stand  for  certain  national  virtues.  Red  stands  for 
bravery ;  white,  for  purity ;  and  blue,  for  justice. 

In  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  flag  is  a 
blue  square  with  white  stars.  These  stars  rep- 
resent the  difl^erent  states  in  the  Union.  There 
are  in  this  blue  field  as  many  stars  as  there  are 
states  in  the  Union.  Whenever  a  new  state  is 
admitted  to  the  Union,  a  new  star  is  added  to  the 
flag. 

OUR   BANNER 

Flag  of  our  country,  far  afloat, 

Over  the  land  and  sea  ! 
The  steadfast  light  on  Glory's  height, 

The  banner  of  the  free  !    " 

Purity  speaks  from  your  folds  of  white, 

Truth  from  your  sky  of  blue. 
Courage  shines  forth  in  the  crimson  stripes 

And  leads  to  victories  new. 


176    PRACTICAL   ENGLISH   FOR   NEW  AMERICANS 

Fadeless,  like  stars  in  the  arching  skies, 

In  glory  your  stars  shine  on, 
And  promise  the  peace  that  ne'er  shall  cease. 

In  the  land  by  valor  won. 


THE   STAR-SPANGLED   BANNER 

Oh,  say,  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light. 
What  SQ  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last 

gleaming. 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars,  through  the 

perilous  fight, 
O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched  were  so  gallantly 

streaming  ? 
And  the  rocket's  red  glare,  the  bombs  bursting  in 

air. 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was 

still  there  : 
Oh,  say,  does  that  Star-Spangled  Banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ? 


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